


Honor Bound

by Rainpebbles



Series: The Impala Series [4]
Category: Firefly, Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, BAMF Castiel, Destiel - Freeform, F/M, M/M, Minor Violence, Protective Dean Winchester, Sabriel - Freeform, Slow Burn, sword fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 08:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6897730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainpebbles/pseuds/Rainpebbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part IV Impala Series. SPN/Firefly Xover. It's the biggest party of the year and somehow Dean finds himself invited. But his lack of social know-how leads to a sword duel with Anna's date for the evening. And making it even worse, Cas is starting to feel cooped up. How did Dean get himself into this mess? Includes Sabriel and developing Destiel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Notes:Okay! Here we go on episode four! Wooo! And if you notice things are a little out of order, then it's intentional, I promise =) I was also super surprised that I only had to change River's rant a little bit to fit into Castiel's character. Yay convenience!

Disclaimer:I own nothing here! Nothing at all! I'm just a lowly student D'X

 

Honor Bound

CHAPTER 1

It's lunch time on the Impala. The area is bustling with energy as everyone is gathered together to share a meal. Bobby was happily whipping up some kind of stir-fry with the protein blocks and some canned veggies. The aromas that were floating through the air was making everyone's mouths water. The smell was mostly from the fancy spices Anna had donated to the cause and Balthazar kept on gushing about each spice in fond memory of some of the upscale food places he had once frequented. A smiling Chuck was at one corner of the room talking to Sam about the next chapter in his book. He had been struggling with it because he himself had never been to a fancy party and only had his neighbor's seventh birthday party to go by. Sam was just nodding along, mostly focused on the book on piloting that Gabe had given him.

The mentioned pilot was on the couch flicking bits of ripped up paper napkin into Sam's hair who had yet to notice and it was starting to look like Sam had a horrendous case of dandruff. Served him right for having his hair that long, thought Dean who was sitting nearby.

Even Meg had come to the room and was trying to steal bits of food out of the wok Bobby was cooking with every time he turned his back. She was doing pretty well; she had gotten four pieces so far with only two wrist slaps.

Cas was also moving around the room, inspecting this wall pattern or running his hands over that scratch in the furniture. He was humming that continuous note again, but it never actually seemed annoying. If it was anyone else, Dean would have probably slapped them upside the head. But Cas….from him it only seemed to relax Dean. Sam had mentioned once that it was probably a coping mechanism for Cas. A way to try and calm himself when he was stressed.

What was he stressed about now though? He followed Cas with his eyes, trying to see what might be agitating the young man.

Dean's thoughts were interrupted when Sam finally noticed that his hair had been littered with what looked like a bucket of confetti and was now chasing a laughing Gabriel around the room. The scene brought smiles to everyone's faces. Even Meg was smirking from over in the corner where she was able to grab another piece out of the wok while Bobby's eyes were following the running pair.

Cas had made his way over to the counter next to Bobby and was now looking through the crate of canned foods, humming sounding a little more frantic, but it couldn't be heard over the ruckus in the kitchen.

He picks up one can of peaches and fiddles with the label, and slowly ripping it off. He starts mumbling, "There it is. It's always there if you look for it. Everybody sees and nobody sees it...Can't always know what's inside. Surprises lurk…."

Sam had made a grab for Gabriel, but the smaller man twisted out of his grasp making Sam trip over his own too long legs and take down a chair. He still scrambles after Gabe once he finds his feet again. Everyone is cheering loudly.

Cas picks up the next can and removes the label frantically now and then moves on to the next can, his movements becoming more and more panicked. Still muttering under his breath, "These are the ones that take you! Little ones in the corner that you almost don't see. But they're the ones that reach in and do it. They're the ones with teeth and you have to smash them!"

By now he has six cans unlabelled and is smashing the last one upon the counter loudly. Everyone in the room finally notices him. Sam and Gabriel stop their antics and Bobby reaches over to try and pry the cans from Castiel's fingers and Dean darts over to pull Cas away from whatever was bothering him on the cans.

"A million things, and the little ends of the roots go everywhere but you don't see them because they are hidden as friendly mailboxes in a fancy neighborhood and then when they're there no one says it because, because sometimes they're afraid. And then….then they come..." Cas looks to Dean as if begging him to understand, but this time around, he really doesn't.

Balthazar steps forward to take his now trembling little brother from Dean. He leads Castiel towards the crew quarters, probably to Cas' nest where his plant is. Dean can hear Balthazar's low voice muttering comforting things to Cas as they move down the hall.

Turning back to his crew, he is met by many eyes looking at him. Bobby is putting away the de-labeled cans and Gabriel moves to help him. He looks like he feels guilty for some reason and the preacher notices.

"No harm done, son. We'll just have a few mystery meals. Add some excitement to the dining experience." This gets a small smile from the pilot.

Meg looks over to Gabriel, "You should probably see to that Gabe. Bad habit for a fugitive. He does something weird like that in public and he's going to get himself hauled away."

Gabriel can only nod in absent agreement. Sam rests a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"Is he getting worse?" Anna said this to Gabriel, but she was looking at Dean, as if also asking for his opinion.

But Gabriel was the one to answer, "You have all seen that he can be fine one moment and then drop the cookies the next. But I don't think he's actually getting worse. He has too many lucid moments now for me to think that."

"Maybe he's getting cabin fever?" Suggested Chuck.

Gabriel looks up sharply at this. "You know what, Chucky-Cheese? You might just be right. Cascade might just need to spread his wings, so to speak. Last time he was outside for real, not just a hood ornament on the ship, but actually outside…it might be that it's been years. The Host wasn't too keen on out of classroom experiences."

"But we can't be sure that he would be able to handle the outside world. It could help or it could hinder him. I mean, he's obviously more sensitive to the…bad parts of people. If we expose him to some place crawling with low-lives…." Sam trailed off, not wanting to elaborate on how it might hurt Castiel.

Sam's comment brought a ridiculous image to Dean's head where Sam would wrap Cas up in his freakishly long arms, hugging him far too tightly and cradling Cas' head and whispering, "You're far too precious for this 'verse". It almost made Dean laugh out loud, almost. But he understood where Sam was coming from, and he agreed whole heartedly. Cas might not be ready, no matter how cooped up he might feel.

"Well, perhaps it's best to let the chick leave the nest eventually. Won't learn to fly otherwise," mumbled Bobby where he was still stirring the food.

The crew all seemed thoughtful at this, but Dean could only imagine a blue jay spiraling down towards the ground.

 

Later that day found Gabriel and Sam in the bridge after a much less eventful dinner. Castiel had emerged again for the meal and seemed to have centered himself again and even cracked a wide grin when he saw that Chuck had made some sort of sick imitation of a burger with the ground protein. To him the twisted burger was gourmet.

Sam could see the difference in Gabe now that Castiel was stable again. He was relaxed, leaned back in his pilots chair and one lazy hand on the control stick. The sight warmed Sam. He had been seeing the same haunted look in Gabe's eyes that Sam had seen far too many times on Dean's face. It was too familiar, and it was wrong. Sam would do anything to erase that look from their faces.

But now Sam could be content sitting here with the lounging Gabe. Out the window in front of them a planet came into view with its sun peeking out from behind it. It was sunset for that part of the planet. The sun lit up the bridge, casting Sam and Gabe in its glow instantly warming them.

"So Dean says that we'll be staying in Lawrence for a week," mentioned Sam while stretching his long frame like a cat in a sunbeam.

Gabriel made a happy sound next to him, "Shiny!"

Sam looked over at the pilot, "Yeah? I thought you might get land-crazy, being in port that long. I mean, you have the attention span of a three year old."

"Probably, but I've been sane a long time now and change is good," purred Gabe glancing lazily over to Sam.

Somewhere behind them they heard Dean enter the bridge.

"Well now. Isn't that a pretty sight," Dean commented on the view out the window.

"Gotta love a sunset, Captain!" remarked Gabe, not taking his own eyes off the view.

"And we've stopped here enough that it sort of feels like a second home, almost," joked Sam.

Dean didn't agree entirely. "Lawrence isn't home. Too many people and places we have to avoid. We re-supply, look for work, and move along. We sniff the fresh air, we don't kiss the dirt." Dean stated firmly.

But Dean's gruff attitude towards the place wasn't enough to bring down Sam and Gabe's happy mood.

"Wasn't planning on kissing the dirt, Dean." Snorted Sam while glancing Gabe's way. Dean's face scrunched up in disgust.

Gabriel picked up from Sam, "Yeah. I wouldn't stand for it anyway. Jealous man like me…" He winked at Dean. And Dean made a mental note to bleach his brain later.

"Closing in on the planet now," Gabriel noted, while sitting up to get a better handle on the controls, he may have waited a bit too long to start piloting.

Sam piped up next to him sounding mildly concerned, "Um, Gabe? Planet's coming up a bit fast, don't you think?"

"That just means I'm going down too quick. Likely crash and kill us all," said Gabriel cheerfully.

Dean chooses to leave then, "Well if that happens let me know." And he moves out from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: *sniff sniff* I don't own anything here D'X

 

CHAPTER 2

Anna sits facing her telescreen that hangs from the wall of the shuttle like a mirror. The tab at the top of the screen shows the local data of Lawrence. With a delicate finger she selects the tab and the screen then flips to show 12 small profile pictures of a mix of men and women.

She idly scans the text under each picture and flicks out the ones that she isn't interested in until there are only two left. Touching the first picture a taped video of a request from a pale young hopeful appears on her screen.

He seems particularly nervous and she smiles gently as the message plays, "I understand your time on our planet is limited. And if you've selected my proposal to hear, then the honor that you do me flatters my…my honor!...and I hope…" Anna taps the screen again and the young man's photo disappears. She moves onto the last profile. A chime sounds as she taps the photo, signaling that this person was online and wished to talk live with her. She accepts the request curiously. Only the most bold ever tried to contact her directly like this.

"Ah, now there's the smile made of sunlight. I'm happy that you chose to speak with me."

She smiles politely. He's not attractive, but not hideous either, so she mentally considers him. He is dressed well and supposedly could afford her, so he came from money.

"Mr. Green. It is my pleasure to speak with you."

He smiles broadly and looks like he's fluffing out his feathers, "Did you get my message? I was extra appealing. I've been known to be quite persuasive."

She had seen his message, and she had to admit, he did make it sound quite appealing. "Yes, of course. Yesterday. What a flattering invitation. I had no idea I was arriving in time for the social event of the season."

He smirks, "We only have four of five of those a year, you know. So you'll accompany me, I ask, heart in my throat?" He sounds anything but nervous. In fact he made it sound more like a statement to a done deal. Bold indeed.

She is startled by a knock at the door and momentarily forgets herself.

"Yes, I'm delighted to say I'll be there. Now I am sorry Mr. Green, I have to run."

He nods happily as if closing a business deal, "I understand, I'll see you soon bao bay." (sweetheart)

Anna quickly severs the connection and Mr. Green's leering grin is frozen on the screen. It only hits her just then that she agreed to accompany this man. She hadn't really meant to agree, but she could do little about it now. At least she got to go to the party…

She finally responds to the knock, "Come in?"

Dean enters the room looking a little uncomfortable and distracted. She drew his attention, "Good afternoon, Dean. How may I be of service?"

Normally he would have joked about what kind of service she could provide him, but for whatever reason he overlooked the chance.

"Hiya. We're about to land if Gabe doesn't kill us all first….Probably be around ten a.m. there when we land…" He trailed off looking anywhere but her.

"Yes, Dean. I saw that." Why are you really here, she thought?

Dean gestured towards the screen, trying to seem casual, but Anna had been trained to see past facades. "Making plans?" He asked and moved closer to look at the screen and profile information. "Zachariah Green. He's a new one right? Kinda old for your tastes?"

Anna walks smoothly over and covers the image with a handy shawl. "Yes. He's new."

"Not really what I pictured you with…not that I make a habit of picturing you with…you know. But he must be rich too, to afford your services." He was still gazing around the room, seeming far more interested in the drapery than the actual conversation.

Anna simply smirked, "I suppose. He has engaged me for several days."

That got Dean's attention. "Days? The man must have stamina."

"We'll see. Who knows. Maybe under that confident face he's a real cuddler."

Dean grinned at that, "Well lucky you then. Is he going to let you out at all?"

"Actually it appears that we're attending a ball tomorrow night." She answered sounding excited as a girl going to prom.

"I bet it's a mighty fine shindig," he responded, his attention being dragged across the room again. He obviously wanted to talk about something but was stalling, and Anna decided that she would drag this out a bit longer, just to see him squirm.

"I don't suppose you'd find it up to the standards of you usual outings. More conversation and somewhat less petty theft, hustling games and then getting beat on with pool cues," she responded jokingly.

"Yeah, well. Sounds like a dull party if you ask me." Now he was looking at his feet. Anna couldn't stand to watch him struggle anymore and finally decided to give him an opening.

"Dean…did you need something?" She asked gently. He stiffened immediately and she knew that whatever it was that was bothering him, was on the sensitive side, a side he rarely visited. She braced herself to offer any and all advice, happy that he chose to come to her, even if she wasn't sure why he came to her and didn't go to Sam or even Bobby for advice.

He didn't meet her gaze, but he answered her. "Why would you want to be with us? Why would you want to stay with our kind of people if it just ends up hurting you?"

She wasn't expecting that so she stuttered out, "You don't mean that."

"I don't? We're a bunch of miserable, lost criminals with flexible morals... Lowlifes of society…" He trailed off.

Anna was prompt in her answer this time. She had been asked the same question by many others before, "You all are also glowing with loyalty, forgiveness…even love." Dean finally looked up at her at the last part.

"Pain?" He choked out after a beat.

"Bobby's cooking."

"Guilt?"

"The antics of the crew" she said more firmly.

Dean snorted, "Okay you got me there."

"I mean it. Every emotion. Even the bad ones. It's why I stay here Dean. There is nothing fake. Everything is painfully revealed and true. No hiding behind the conformity of society and the Garrison rule," she emphasized by gesturing wildly with her hands, somehow making it look elegant.

"Feelings are over rated if you ask me."

"Beats being a robot."

Dean stood up from where he had been leaning against a table and began pacing around the room. "How is that possible? You have power in society, a figure of status…"

She cut him off, "Like a stone cold marble statue? There to admire, but bearing no life? Dean I know it's hard to believe, but out here…I feel more alive than ever before. I feel more pure than ever before. Out here I don't have to put on a mask for society. I can be myself every once in a while…Now tell me why you really came to my shuttle? You've never been this curious about my feelings before. That's usually Sam's thing."

He stopped pacing, but kept his back turned towards her. "I just…I needed to know if…if having people like me…like us around Cas…are we the ones keeping him from recovering? If Sam is right, and Cas is sensitive to evil, then maybe we're hurting him. You're an innocent…in a criminal sense, but I wanted to know if you felt…dirty because you rode with us." He finally turned back to look at Anna, waiting for an answer.

She smiled, "Dean. I've seen the way that Castiel looks at you. You're a hero to him. He trusts you wholeheartedly. And I do believe that Castiel is sensitive to evil. I also believe he is sensitive to good. And he is drawn to your light like a wayward moth….Just don't burn him because he gets too close Dean," she warned. Dean could only nod and a silence fell between them.

Anna decided to help him out again, "So, I understand if you have to go deal with that, "it's ten in the morning" thing." She smirked at him.

He gave a small smile in return, "Yeah, I better get to that. Besides, I'm pretty sure this is more of an evening look." He gestures to his normal outfit as he moves out of the room. Mentally thanking Anna for her help and then moving to do his Captainly duties.

Anna watched him leave. She knew that he was concerned for Castiel, but she never suspected that Dean felt like he was holding him back or even harming the sweet yet troubled young man. She was seeing new depths to their captain every day since the Castiel arrived on their ship. She was also seeing more and more why Castiel might be drawn to the Captain.

But, she was also curious to find out why the Captain was drawn to Castiel. Before Dean had always been protective of his crew, but she had only seen this type of hyper vigilant sheltering when Sam was involved. That was until Castiel came aboard.

Castiel had arrived acting like a small child who was terribly afraid of something in the shadows. And he immediately trusted Dean with absolute conviction. And in return, Dean had offered him shelter and an odd friendship that only they seemed to understand and left the rest of the crew wondering.

She didn't doubt for a moment that Dean would try to protect Castiel with everything he had, but Anna still worried that maybe Dean would hold too tight and end up suffocating him. It was one thing to protect Castiel from the world, but Castiel had to re-adjust to the world. And if Dean was going to treat him like a fine china set, then Castiel might start to believe that he was as delicate as that and he would never heal.

She mused one a line from a poem she had read long ago.

God loved the birds and invented trees, but when Man loved the birds, he invented cages.

She went over to her dresser to choose which dress she was going to wear to the party. She was thinking of something green….


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine, nope nope nope.

 

CHAPTER 3

The Impala lands somewhat smoothly in the bustling port on Lawrence. Outside were lines of vendors and shops, performers and peddlers. Chuck lowered the ramp for the crew and they all stepped forward and took a collective breath of fresh air. Standing at the top of the ramp, everyone's eyes were drinking in the colors and movement.

Castiel was with them, smiling happily and drinking in everything that the sight had to offer. His gaze wandered and jumped from one discovery to the next, finally falling on the performing dancers in the center of one of the streets. He excitedly grabs at Gabriel's and Sam's arms to point out the athletic and intricate dance.

Meg and Chuck's mouths were watering when they caught sight of the ramen stand. Balthazar was appreciating the many women walking by in colorful and extravagant dresses. Bobby was trying his best to not look too excited, but he looked like he was still smiling through the fuzz of his beard.

"Ooh, look at all the pretties," leered Balthazar while giving a little wave to some girls who passed by.

"What am I looking at? The girls or the clothes?" asked Anna, giggling lady-like.

Castiel was still trying to make sure that everyone saw the dancers by moving to each person and shaking their arm until he got their attention. Once they had indulgently glanced at the dancers, he would move on to the next crew member and repeat the process. He was practically vibrating with energy.

Dean walked up to the ramp after coming from somewhere else in the ship. Castiel immediately zoned in on him.

"Hello Dean. Look at the dancers!" He pointed in the direction of the performers and Dean followed his gaze to see them. It was an interesting kind of dance. They seemed more like acrobats than dancers with their twirling ribbons, flips, and summersaults, but Cas was entranced by it.

Sam commented from nearby, "Too much bouncing around. If I'm going to dance, I want it to be more smooth and fierce. Like a tango or something." Dean turned to regard his brother an incredulous look and tried to picture his little brother in a tux with a rose in his mouth. It just looked wrong.

"You want to tango? I can learn to tango! Captain, can I have money for lessons on how to tango?" Gabriel rushed out in one breath, practically bouncing were he stood.

"I'd chip in to see that," laughed Meg from behind.

"It's like a garden of colorful flowers got up and started to walk around and dance! I wonder where all of their pots are?" pondered Cas.

Dean glanced around to see that each of his crew members were staring starry eyed at the crowds before them. Cas couldn't take his eyes away, and that worried Dean. They should head out to business so that Cas could go back inside, he thought.

"Okay, okay. Show's over guys, let's get to work." He was ignored by everyone.

"Do you think I could go dance with the flowers, Gabriel?" Cas asked his eldest brother.

"No! You are staying right here. You wanna dance with flowers, go find your plant and spin around with it somewhere on the ship because you are not leaving it." Dean said harshly, startling Cas and the rest of the crew.

"See here Dean, you can't make him stay here. The boy needs fresh air as much as the rest of us." Bobby argued.

"Dean, I know you're concerned about him, but I really think he could use this," Gabriel tried to reason, Anna and Balthazar nodding next to him in agreement.

Even Chuck threw in his two cents, "He seems to be handling it okay so far…."

"So far? Let me tell you about the guy who jumped off a building. Every other floor that he fell past people could hear him saying, "so far, so good." This is just like that. So far, so good. I'm doing him a favor by making him stay here." Dean spat out.

"Dean…" Cas pleaded before he was cut off harshly.

"No. Now get back in the boat." Cas looked at him for a beat before shuffling sadly back into the Impala. When Dean turned back to his crew after watching Cas walk off and was met with angry glares.

"What?!" Nobody answered, and they turned to walk off the ramp to run whatever errands they had planned.

"See you later, Dean." Mumbled Chuck and he walked off with the rest of the crew, leaving him with a smirking Meg.

"Wow Dean. Think they're mad?" She asked sarcastically.

"Shut up. It's for the best."

Dean moved down the ramp to get to work only to be met with a gun to his face. Great, he thought. I've been on this planet not five minutes and I piss off my crew and get a gun in my face. Great.

Then he heard a familiar cultured voice come from off to the side. "Hello there my dear Dean Winchester. Where's your moose?"

Crowley came into view, a sneer on his face.

"Piss off."

Crowley put on an offended look, "Oh Dean, is that anyway to act towards a business partner? And here I was coming to get you so we could have a little sit-down."

"I'm thinking no."

"I'm sorry, did I give you the impression that I was asking?" The gun in Dean's face was cocked. Looks like he and Meg were going on a little detour.

"Hey, don't suppose I can go back onto my ship for a second? I've got a yorkie upstairs and he pees when he's nervous." Dean thought of Castiel.

"No."

 

Dean and Meg sit uncomfortably around a table as Crowley pours tea. It doesn't sit well with Dean at all that he is basically having a tea party with the "King of Crime". But Meg at least seemed to be enjoying the little sandwiches that had been laid out all fancy like on some girly looking plate. The whole scene here was just sick and Dean wasn't here for a play date.

"So Crowley, seems to me, last time we were talked it seemed like we were no longer welcome amongst your…little world." Dean hashed out. Meg tentatively tried the tea set in front of her and it put a content and surprised look on her face.

"That's not bad." She commented. Crowley looked pleased.

"There's a trick to it. Wood alcohol." The dealer said confidentially to Meg with a smile.

Dean just continues like he wasn't interrupted.

"Now here we are as…favored guests? Treated to your fancy girly tea that probably costs more than wines? What is it that you need from us?" Meg rudely reaches across in front of Dean to pour out more tea.

Crowley took a sip of his own tea, and with that he seemed willing to talk business. "There's this local, name of Warrick Harrow. He's got some property he wants to sell off-planet, to fetch a higher price…." He took another sip of tea. Dean didn't want to stick around long so he tried to hurry this conversation along.

"But the local powers won't let him sell off-world." Dean guessed.

Crowley shrugged, "It is a conundrum. What my man Harrow needs himself is a smuggler. I'm willing to cut you in on it."

Dean wasn't completely satisfied with that info, "Why me? You've got access to ships. You could do it yourself."

Crowley looked a bit reluctant to answer, but he answered, "He won't deal with me direct. Taken an irrational dislike to me it seems."

Meg laughs rudely with her mouth full of sandwich. "What happened? He see your face?"

Crowley only gave her a nasty look and continued to regard Dean, "He's a quality gent. Nose in the air like he never wun gwo pee. Doesn't find me respectable. You on the other hand, you might have a chance." (smelled a fart)

"You backed out of a deal last time. Left us hanging." Dean reminded him.

"You also hurt our feelings." Said Meg sounding pained at the thought.

Crowley rolled his eyes, "I had problems with your attitude. I felt that you were….pretentious. You think you're better than most people."

Meg snorted and nodded in agreement and Dean shoots her a look.

"Just the ones I'm better than. Now I'm thinking that very quality is the one you're placing value on today." Dean smirked.

"I place value on the fact that the stick up your pee-goo is about as large as the one Harrow's got up his."(ass)

Meg barks out in laughter at this comment and Dean shoots her another look.

"So how do you propose setting up a meet with a man who won't deal with you?" Dean asked, skeptical of the whole job.

Crowley smiles, "I know a place he'll be. Safe place, using new gun tech scans. High class joint too. They wouldn't let me in, but you might slip by. Of course you couldn't buy an invite with a diamond the size of a testicle. But I got my hands on a couple."

Meg starts giggling at that and Dean raises his eyebrows and smirks at Crowley who looks confused at their reactions.

Figuring out what he had just said he clarifies, "….of invites. Do you want the meeting or not?" He asks testily. Dean considers, and looks to Meg who only shrugs and reaches for more food.

 

Dean is walking through his ship, room by room looking for Cas.

"Cas!" He shouts down the hall. No answer.

"Hey, Cas! Where are you buddy?" He shouts in the engine room. Still no answer.

He reaches Chuck's room. Dean hadn't yet been in to see the "nest" that the others said Cas had been compiling, but this was probably a more likely place to find him.

Climbing down the ladder he calls out again to announce his arrival, "Hey Cas, you in here?"

He spots him finally. Trench coat still on as he sits grooming his plant. Dean hadn't seen the project for a couple of weeks now, and he really couldn't tell if it had improved or not under Cas' care. Glancing around the rest of the room he noticed little things placed here and there.

There was what looked like a puzzle off in one corner, but upon closer inspection it was actually sorted piles of broken dishes and a glue bottle next to them. Cas was trying to fix all of the dishes he had broken.

Off to the other side of the room on the desk was a pile of aluminum foil sculpted into odd shapes. The bed was also completely untouched. Gabriel had mentioned that Cas came here at night so as not to bother Balthazar when he was trying to sleep. Apparently Cas wasn't joking when he said that he didn't sleep.

Bringing his attention back to the reason he was there, he tried again, "Cas? Hey, buddy."

Cas sighed in annoyance and didn't look up from his plant, "Not talking to you Dean. Fern and I are busy."

"Who's Fern?"

"My plant."

Dean looked at the plant again, "Is it a fern?"

"No."

The following silence was painfully uncomfortable. Dean started to fidget with some unseen lint on his sleeve. He looked again to where Castiel sat with his back turned to Dean.

He heaved a big sigh. He was going to regret this, he just knew it. "Cas…I've got a job for you."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Ain't mine.

 

CHAPTER 4

Zachariah leads Anna into the richly decorated foyer of the capitol building where the party was being held. He was wearing an expensive, but plain looking suit, nothing that truly drew any attention but still was respectable. But Anna's presence makes him look all the more appealing with her stunning and elegant green dress that fanned out behind her as she moved.

Approaching the arch he turns to her, "After you, my dear." He says politely, but somehow it sounds condescending to Anna. But she thanks him graciously nonetheless.

A grand ballroom is before them through some ornate archway decorated with flowers. At the archway a colorfully dressed porter stands, announcing the names of each guest as they hand their invitations to him. Anna has been to many parties such as this, but they never lost their splendor. She loved how everything was beautiful and sparkling with social energy. She practically glowed in this environment with contentment.

"Zachariah Green and Anna Milton." The porter announced clearly. And the two walked into the party.

They were greeted with the sight of elegant party-goers, carefully circulating waiters with shining trays of champagne, live musicians, and a wonderful spread on a buffet table. He eyes are drawn to the floating chandelier up above the twirling dancers and she smiles softly. This truly was a lovely ball. It was even lovely enough for her to ignore who her date was.

As she is ushered along by Zachariah's pull on her arm, she sees familiar faces. She waves kindly to a fellow companion and blows a tender kiss to an old client. She mildly thinks of her conversation with Dean earlier that day. She had told him that she preferred the warmth of the Impala, but she hadn't told him that she did miss a few things from her previous life. She was a social creature, and she did miss events like this.

She greeted and old friend while walking past, "Roberta, it's been too long."

Anna spots an older man that was once a client of hers once upon a time, "Lao pung yo, nee can chi lai hun yo jing shen." (you're looking wonderful, old friend.)

Zachariah doesn't seem to mind her socializing. In fact he seems to be basking in it, enjoying the status that seems to come with being with a successful companion. He whispers in her ear and she suppresses a shudder, "Half of the men in this room wish you were on their arm tonight."

"Only half? I must be losing my touch." She joked privately.

He smiled back, a disturbing picture, "Not at all, my dear. All of them wish you were in their bed." He whispered to her.

Of course Anna finds that in bad taste and she looks away quickly, trying to compose herself like her training had taught her.

Her date notices and smiles unpleasantly, "Oh, she blushes. How sweet. Not many in your line of work do that." He informed her knowingly. Anna only partially notices and reaches for a glass of champagne from a tray that is passing by, and she might have taken a bigger sip than was considered polite. Zachariah then begins to parade her around the room, with Anna following dutifully.

Along the way she continues to greet other acquaintances, soaking up as much of her old friends as she can.

"I've noticed how much your face lights up here, being among the upper class. I know that you live on a ship with a…motley crew, unique I should say. I looked up your own profile, I hope you don't mind." Zachariah drew her attention. She usually was fine with people looking at her profile, but him doing it…it felt a bit off, and invasive.

He continued as if he didn't notice her discomfort. "You belong here, Anna. Not on that flying, smelly piece of gos se. You see that, don't you?" (Crap)

Her smile falters, "Mr. Green, language, please." She looks around to see if anyone heard. But he doesn't stop.

"What? But it is a piece of gos se." He seems insistent that she understand this, but how could someone like him understand her reasons for loving the Impala as much as she did.

But something else drew Anna's attention. The porter was announcing a new set of names.

"Captain Dean Winchester and his date Cas Winchester." Anna turns her head rudely away from her date startled to see if her ears where playing tricks on her.

But she had heard right. There stood Dean, looking incredibly uncomfortable in his suit, and Castiel, looking around the room in open wonder.

"Oh, gos se." Whispers Anna.

 

A few moments before Dean decided to give his "date" a pep talk before they moved up to the porter. "Okay buddy, here's the deal. I know we went over this before back home, but let's re-hash, just to be sure. Dongma?"

Castiel nods happily, still looking all around them at the dancing flowers.

"Can you tell me why we're here?"Dean asked, trying to catch Cas' wondering gaze.

"We are looking for your contact," Cas said loudly, too loudly. Dean shushed him.

"Dude lower your voice! Okay, and what will you tell people if they ask who you are?"

"I…I answer that I am Cas Winchester, your cousin who works for you?" He answered a bit hesitantly.

Dean smiled, "Good, and I want you to stay by me and let me know if you're feeling…iffy. But you have to remember, you are safest with me. So don't go wandering too far. Also…" Cas cut him off, "Why are we not telling them the truth? Wouldn't it be more efficient to simply inform them who we are looking for? I'm sure these wonderful people could even point him out to us."

Dean sighed heavily. He noticed that the tie he had put on Cas earlier for the party was backwards and had come loose. Fixing it for him he answered, "We are not telling them the truth Cas."

"Why not?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, making it harder for Dean to get the tie straight.

"Because we're human." Dean pulls Cas' invitation from Crowley out of his pocket and stuffs it into Cas' coat pocket adjusting the lapels as he does so. "And when humans want something really, really bad, we lie."

Cas looked more confused than ever, "Why?"

With a final tug of Cas' jacket to get rid of all the wrinkles, Dean responded.

"Because that's how you gain status."

And the two of them finally moved up to the porter. Dean pulls out his invitation smoothly and hands it to the man to read aloud. The porter reaches out his hand for Cas' invitation and waits patiently as Cas is transfixed with the sights ahead of them. Dean bumps his shoulder to get his attention back where it belongs. Cas looks at him oddly, and then remembers to pull out his own invitation. He holds it up proudly for the porter to see….upside down with a big smile on his face. Dean rolls his eyes, grabs the invite out of his hands and shoves it at the porter, already regretting his choice to let Cas out.

They make their way into the party. Dean glances at Cas. His eyes are wide and glowing while he tries to take it all in. No sign of distress. Yet. Moving around the edges of the room, Dean looks around for easy escapes, where guards are, familiar and unfriendly faces, and anything else that he may need should things turn sour.

Tugging at his collar, Dean turns back to Cas. "Does this get-up…does it look a little tight to you?"

Cas didn't even look at him, too busy staring at everything else, but answers anyway, "Shows off your backside." He said his voice sounding very sure of his answer. "Did you see the cluster of stars? I've never seen them indoors before. I wonder how they coaxed them out of the sky?"

Dean turned his sight to where Cas was looking, hoping to figure out what the hell he was talking about, and he saw the floating chandelier. Not bad, Dean thought.

"Ooh!" Cas' exclamation brought Dean's gaze back to see him now straining to see a very large bouquet of flowers on the other side of the room. The thing was the size of Dean's room back on the Impala.

"I almost feel like one of the flowers right now. Soaking in the glow and freshness. Except that I'm mobile. And I like red meat. And living in dirt doesn't really sound like fun. I wonder what kind of dirt these people live in?" Cas' ponderings were drawing some strange looks, especially once he started talking about dirt. Dean tried to change the topic.

"Yeah, you look great. Like a flower. But be careful with that suit. We cheated Crowley out of some good money to but that monkey suit you've got on. It's supposed to make you look like one of these stiffs."

"Yes sir, captain Tightpants." Cas said casually.

That finally got Dean to crack a smile. It was times like these that he could totally believe someone like Cas had grown up with Gabriel in the same house. And Cas did look good, he couldn't deny. The dark, almost black suit they had given him might have made him look like some fancy tax accountant, but it was just so…Cas. It looked right, except it needed the trench coat. He shook the thoughts from his head.

Getting down to business, "Okay, we're looking for our guy now. Name is Harrow."

"Yes, we should also find Anna." Cas answered seriously.

"Yeah, sure. If we see her. I think she's wearing green."

Cas caught sight of the dancers. They women were like flowers blossoming on the dance floor as they spun around and dipped. The men were like bees, trailing between the women leaving behind smiles and touches. The choreography of it all was so wonderful. Cas loved watching the flowers and bees.

Fingers snapped in his face, "Hey, Cas. Stay focused here. Help me find our man. He's supposed to be older, kinda stocky, wearing a red sash crossways."

"Why?" Cas asked, tilting his head again. Dean absently noticed that the tie had gotten turned around again.

"I don't know. Maybe he won the Miss Lawrence pageant. Help me look." He said shortly.

Cas idly glanced around. His eyes went back to the large bouquet of flowers. "I shall interrogate the flowers." And he walked off quickly to the other side of the room before Dean could stop him.

"Cas that's a….flower…pot. Damn. Whatever, I'll find him myself." Dean mumbled to himself when Cas had already moved out of earshot. He watches for a minute to make sure that Cas was okay…talking to the flowers. The blue eyed man was inspecting and touching each and every flower, smiling softly. He looked content enough to be left alone for a few minutes, so Dean moved off to find their perspective client. But he kept Cas in his peripheral the whole time.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. But it's still on my list for Christmas.

 

CHAPTER 5

Returning to the ship, Meg filled everyone in on what had transpired. Gabriel and Balthazar looked panicked at first and it took Bobby, Sam and Chuck to keep them from running to the party to "rescue" their brother.

"Dude, I thought you said that Castiel should be spreading his wings or whatever." Sam said to Gabriel after they had manhandled him and Balthazar into the dining area.

The pilot heaved a big sigh and rubbed his hands over his face. "I know I did. I just kinda thought that we would take it slow. Quick outing here, and walk around a park there….Not take him to a rutting Gala!"

"Yeah, I don't know what Dean was thinking with that, but I'm sure he's looking out for him." Sam comforted.

"That's it, I'm going." And Balthazar stood up for the eighth time in ten minutes to leave, but was slammed back down by Bobby.

"You just stay where you are, ya idjit. Running into a fancy party and drawing attention to yourself and Castiel will only do harm. Dean won't let anything bad happen to him, and Anna is there too and she will also be there to look out for trouble." He said gruffly and slid a tumbler of whiskey at the two Novaks, a clear sign that they should relax.

Both of them downed their glasses in one go. Gabriel sat back in his seat staring at the ceiling while Balthazar buried his face in his hands. Sam couldn't help but think that they looked just like Dean when Sam was out on his own. More amusingly they looked like worried parents who let their teenage daughter go on her first date with the school's bad boy.

"You guys are just jealous that Crazy Cakes got to go to a party and you have to stay here with these jokers, "Meg indicated the rest of the crew.

"That too!" Came the muffled response from Balthazar.

Sam heaved a sigh and looked to Bobby who only shrugged. Sam was just desperate enough that he even looked to Meg and Chuck for support. Chuck shook his head, but Meg smirked and reached in her pocket…and pulled out a deck of cards.

"How about we play for next week's dishes, boys?" She asked.

Bobby, Chuck and Balthazar all agreed to play. Sam declined and moved over to whisper into Gabriel's ear. All Chuck could make out from the low tones was the word, "Tango". And he stopped trying to hear anymore. Not a second later Gabriel was following Sam out of the dining area, heading towards the crew quarters.

"You all right boy? You look a little flushed?" Bobby asked the mechanic. Chuck turned even more red and stuttered terribly for the next minute.

 

An hour later Sam and Gabriel were bathing in the after-glow of their "tango" dancing. Both are exhausted, but deliriously happy breathing heavy and sweaty all over. Sam never understood his relationship with Gabriel, but for whatever reason Gabe made him happy.

Sam turns to his bedmate and raises an eyebrow, "Still feel like running off?"

Gabriel made a face like he was considering it, "Seems like out there it's all fancy parties. I like our party better. The dress code is easier and I know all the steps."

Sam laughs softly and closes his eyes, "Who knew you could tango like that?"

Gabriel takes notice of Sam's closing eyes and immediately reacts, "Don't fall asleep now. Sleepiness is weakness of character, ask anyone!" He starts tugging on Sam's long hair spread out on the pillow. Sam laughs and turns over, pulling his hair free from the abuse.

"G'night Gabe."

"No, no, no. You're acting captain. You know what happens if you fall asleep?!" Gabe's voice becomes more insistent.

" Meg slits my throat and takes over the ship?" Sam mutters sleepily, still turned the other way.

Gabe nods eagerly, "Yes, that's right!"

Sam doesn't turn over still, "And I'm guessing that there is no way to stop her from doing that?"

Gabriel readjusts his angle on the bed so that he's half leaning over Sam's large frame. Sam catches his helpless expression out of the corner of his eye. "I wash my hands of it. Hopeless case. I'll read a nice poem at the funeral. That is if Dean doesn't shank me for letting his precious little brother get killed."

Sam sighed and turned part way to look at Gabe with one open eye, "You could always lock the door and keep the power-hungry knife-wielding psychotic bitch at bay you know."

The pilot shrugs, now seeming unconcerned. "Hmm, I don't know. I'm starting to like this poetry thing… Here lies my sweet Sammy Samsqautch, my Magnanimous Moose, somewhat less tall since we had to cut him in half to fit him in the coffin…"

He is silenced with a pillow hitting him in the face and Sam grabbing the front of his shirt to pull him down.

 

Back at the party, Castiel is still prancing around the giant pot of flowers talking to each one. Every once in a while he glances behind him at the dancers.

"Look at them. Aren't they something? Like butterflies or little pieces of wrapping paper, blowing around…Don't you agree?" He asks a particularly friendly daffodil. A group of young men and women are nearby and seem to have overheard his conversation. Their faces looked clouded with confusion. Obviously they couldn't speak Plantanese, thought Cas. He thought he would try to be friendly to them.

"Hello!" He said, perhaps a bit too loudly as they all flinched.

One female, who had the same behavior of a queen bee looks at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry, have we been introduced?" She asks looking confused. Castiel remembers how human greetings are supposed to go and reaches out to grab and shake her hand enthusiastically.

"I am Cas…Cas Winchester!" Perhaps he's still talking too loudly he thinks as she flinches again.

But she answers with a slight nod, "I'm Gwen, and this is Mark, Johnny and Christian. We are from the Campbell family." She said the name like Cas should react to it somehow, but he just continued to smile. After an awkward pause, Cas tries again.

"Are you enjoying the moving flowers? Each one of them dressed so fancy. And there are some particularly nice ones by the archway…" The queen bee cut him off.

"They're not as good as last years." She stated sounding disappointed, but that intrigued Cas.

"Really?! What did they have last year?" He asked eagerly.

The man introduced as Christian snorted, "Standards." And the rest of them laughed at the comment. Cas didn't see what was funny, but smiled anyway. He thought that these flowers were some of the kindest ones that he had ever had the pleasure of meeting. He was about to introduce the queen be and her drones to some of the daffodils when she spoke again.

"Who did your tie, Cas?" She asked sounding interested.

Cas smiled fondly at the memory of who had tied it, "Oh, do you like it? Dean did it…"

Her other drone, Mark cut in, "You ought to see your butler about that, then."

"Shah muh?" Cas asked confused. He didn't have butlers anymore that he could remember. (What?)

"Your butler. He's not very good. He put it on backwards for one." She informed him. Cas looked down to look at the tie that Dean had put on for him, it looked fine to him. The Campbells all started to laugh again.

An elderly man walks up behind them with a kindly older looking woman on his arm.

"Why, if it isn't the Campbells. Don't you all look wonderful this fine evening." He greeted. All of the Campbells preened under the compliment, not bee behavior at all, thought Cas.

The older fellow continued, "And what a fine dress you are wearing, Gwen. It must have taken a dozen slaves a dozen days to just get you into that get-up. But of course your grandfather tells me that it takes the space of a schollboy's wink to get you out again."

Each of them looks mortified at the man's comment and walked off quickly shooting angry glances Castiel's way. Cas was too busy giggling at the man's joke.

"Forgive my husband's rudeness, Deary. We can just not abide useless people." The kindly old lady said to him.

Cas only smiled at her, "I'm afraid that the bees have not been very friendly today, but did you get a chance to meet the flowers? "

 

"Ah, there he is." Dean finally caught sight of his quarry and started maneuvering his way through the mass of people to catch up. He was indeed wearing a red sash. He looks upper-crust, and holds an air of confidence that Dean immediately pick up on.

Harrow notices Dean's approach and looks like he's steeling himself for something.

"Good evening, sir. But would you be Mr. Warrick Harrow?" Dean inquired.

The man rolls his eyes at Dean, "Sir Warrick Harrow. The sash." He corrects the Captain. Dean clears his throat awkwardly.

"Yes, the sash…"He wasn't sure where this guy was going with the sash comment….

Harrow rolls his eyes again, "It indicates lordhood." He informed Dean. Dean nodded eagerly, now finally understanding.

"Right, yes. And it's…it's doing a great job, Sir Harrow." But Harrow seems to be ignoring Dean and starts to walk away, trying to politely dismiss Dean, but the Captain wouldn't be brushed off so easily. He could charm anyone given enough time.

"Sir, my name is Dean Winchester. I captain the ship the Impala. I mention this because I have been led to understand you want to move some property off-world…discreetly." He said, pausing to find a fitting word. Dean glances around looking to make sure that not too many ears were listening in. His eyes catch sight of Castiel off to the side of the room. He seems to be talking with an older looking couple by the flowers. The couple look like they are laughing, but in a friendly grandparents laughing at a silly grandchild kind of laughter, so Dean feels okay leaving him alone for a little longer.

Harrow is taking a closer look at Dean, and looked less than impressed with what he sees.

"You're mistaken, sir. I am an honest man." He says dismissively to Dean.

Dean pushes more, "Seems to me, there is nothing wrong or dishonest about getting your goods to people that need them."

"You're concerned about the poor. And yet, for what you're offering, you'd want money, I imagine." Harrow points out.

"Well sir, I think you'll find that working with me is giving to the poor." Dean said politely. Harrow finally turns fully to face Dean.

"And whom is it you represent?" He asks impatiently. Dean grimaces before answering.

"Um, represent isn't exactly…"

"Don't waste my time, " Harrow said testily interrupting Dean.

Dean looks at him and locks eyes, "Guy by the name Crowley."

Harrow knows the name obviously and shakes his head and smiles ruefully, "I know him. And I think he's a psychotic lowlife."

It's Dean's turn to smile ruefully, "And I think calling him that is an offense to the psychotic lowlife community. But I know the deal is solid…." He was startled at the touch of his arm from behind. He turns quickly, expecting to find Cas with two guards ready to escort them off the premises, but instead he sees Anna and her….date.

Dean is about to great her when the date, Zachariah, Dean remembers, steps forward to shake Harrows hand.

"Sir Harrow. I know you from the club, I believe. So sorry to interrupt."

Harrow only nods coolly. Dean takes note, thinking that maybe Harrow knows something about this Zachariah that Anna and Dean don't. An awkward pause occurs when Harrow doesn't reach forward, and Anna steps forward with her training to move the conversation on to less chilly waters.

"Captain, this is Zacharia Green. Zacharia, Captain Dean Winchester of the Impala." Dean moves to shake his hand, and he seems to hesitate for a moment before daintily shaking Dean's hand as if it was a used hanky. They size each other up.

"Pleased to meet'cha, I'm sure. Anna, fancy meeting you here!"

She gave Dean an unamused look, "Yes, real surprise. And I see you brought someone with you?" She glanced Castiel's way where another couple had joined Cas and his friends at the flower pot.

"Yeah, poor kid didn't want to stay home alone so I brought him along. Seems to be doing okay, but feel free to go say hi to him," Dean hinted at her. Cas seemed to be doing okay, but he would feel a hundred times better if he knew Cas was being taken care of. Zachariah and Harrow seemed to pick up on Dean and Anna's exchange and were trying to get a closer look at the man who they spoke about.

Dean quickly drew they're attention back to them, "Hey! How about that floating chandelier!?"

The two other men glance up and Dean takes the chance to gesture to Anna showing that he would like to talk to her alone, and she nods back and smiles.

"Captain Winchester, I wonder if you would do me the honor of a dance, that is if it is alright with you Zachariah?" She says sweetly and rubs her hand up and down his arm. Zachariah seems to hesitate in his answer, but he can't seem to find a way out.

"Of course." And Dean and Anna move off to the dance floor.

Harrow huffs in amusement, "You just let them go? You must be a brave man."

"She knows where her responsibility lies." He says, sounding far too sure of himself. Harrow scowls at that, disliking the man even more.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nothing here belongs to me. It's tragic, I know.

 

CHAPTER 6

"So are you going to tell me why you are really here? And also why you chose to bring Castiel along after yelling at him for even considering leaving the ship?" Anna asks innocently.

Dean was a little distracted, not being entirely sure how to do this dance, but he picks up enough from the others around them to not look like a complete douche. "Business, same as you. And Cas…needs to get out more. I swear he is so socially awkward that he would rehearse his order before calling the pizza place."

Anna smiles brightly at this and looks over at Cas who seems to have picked up a few more older party goers. "He seems to be doing quite well."

Dean also glances over, and becomes dumbfounded at the crowd Cas seemed to have acquired. He got thoughtful for a moment, wonder if Cas was like this before….everything. Was he still some little nerdy dude, or was he as suave and elegant as Balthazar, or was he a charismatic jokester like Gabriel? He might have even gone to events like these before and was the life of the party. All he had to go by were those few moments of sanity that let him get a glimpse of what used to be.

"But I suppose you shouldn't keep him here too much longer. So what do you need my help with?" She asked, bringing Dean's attention back.

"I was hoping you would have some Intel on Harrow. The guy seems to be hard to crack, and we really need this job." He informed her.

Anna looked thoughtful, "I only know that he doesn't keep a profile for companions to view. I don't even think he has ever asked for a contract with a companion. So I suppose he isn't bought on beauty or status."

"Aww, and here I did my hair up for him," Dean joked. She smiled indulgently.

She continued, "And I have heard that he is a very just and honest man. Fights for the underdog. That sort of thing." Dean nodded in understanding, he could work with that, so he changed topics.

"So how goes your…business? He seems like a real catch." He smirked.

"Well, at least my business is legal." She teased as she was spun around by Dean.

He laughs, "My job may be illegal, but at least it's honest. I mean, seriously, how do you stand the…lie of it….that bag of dicks parading you around on his arm, as if he actually won you, as if he loves you! How can you stand it?" Dean asked incredulously.

She smiles softly, "Well, the beginning of the day I get to go to a grand party and be among society, play a part…and at the end of the day I get to go home and be myself among family. Kind of like most people's real lives." She says fondly a soft smile on her face.

Dean returns the smile, "Well when you put it like that perhaps I'll just shimmy my way into one of your dresses and sleep with Mr. Green over there."

She laughs merrily and people turn to look at the red headed beauty spinning elegantly on the dance floor. Dean pulls her in close again and she takes a moment to glance over to check on Castiel. He still looks quite content.

"I see that Cas is still having a good time. It's wonderful to see him out of the ship. And someone cleaned him up nice! I never noticed how handsome he was." She commented.

Dean spun them so that he could get another look himself. "Yeah, you should have seen him, crying Cinderella tears when I told him that he could come out with me. But it took me a while to convince him that he couldn't wear that trench coat." He grinned at the memory.

"I think he looks adorable, especially with his tie all twisted like that."

One more glance across the room, "Well, yeah, but I never said it." He pauses for a moment to glance yet again, but he covers it quickly, "But hey, what about those girls, huh? It serves to remind a man that girls are supposed to dance, that's why god gave them parts that jiggle."

Anna rolls her eyes, and they continue with their dance.

 

Cas is having a wonderful time. The daisies and lilies are chittering away happily as he pats their petals. And the people around him seem to be just as entranced with the happy plantae. Nobody had ever been interested in his gardening tips before. Gabe and Balth had just nodded absently in the past when he told them about the new soil he had acquired, but these lovely people seemed to hang on his every word.

"Lilies like to hear stories. And the tulips love funny anecdotes. However, Roses like to be sweet talked into growing. That's why the romantic souls always have the fullest roses," Cas informed the crowd around him. The women were smiling sweetly and the gentlemen who Cas had learned were owners of successful nearby farming orchards, were enraptured with the techniques that Cas had been sharing.

"But talking isn't enough! Like any good relationship, there is also giving and receiving. Like say, tomato plants. You may get ten or so fruits per plant, but if given extra rich fertilizer they will give back up to twenty tomatoes the size of grapefruits!"

"But the larger tomatoes lack sweetness!" One of the gentlemen stated. Cas shook his head, "Tsai boo shr, you must be using commercial fertilizer. I'm talking about real fertilizer. You have animals on your farm do you not?" Cas asked nicely. (No Way!)

The group around him laughed happily and one lady from the back spoke up, "We've been telling him to use the real stuff for years now!"

One of the elderly ladies who had been standing closer and closer to Cas moved up and asked, "Cas, I was hoping you would be so kind as to…" She was cut off by one of the other eager women, "Oh, yes, I was also wondering…" And then she was cut off by one of the gentlemen farmers, "Dance later, he's talking! Let him talk," he said quickly, eager to let Cas continue and learn as much as he could.

Their eyes all turned back to Cas, waiting for more words of wisdom from him, obviously charmed by the sweet young man and his flowers.

So he continued happily, "When I left, I wanted to observe the flowers…and the fruit. Flowers come first, obviously. But I heard nothing from them…."Cas glances behind him for a moment, feeling something shift in the air. But he only briefly sees a man watching him.

 

Zachariah watches the blue eyed man while the Captain and his Companion dance. He is intrigued by what he sees.

 

The dance is starting to get more complicated now, with some tricky footwork going on. Anna and the other dancers are as graceful as always, but Dean starts to stumble more and more until Anna finally shows some mercy and starts directing their movement off the dance floor. Dean trips on their way out, and they both laugh as he catches himself on her waist. They grin at each other as they move off the dance floor and back to her date.

"This is not my kind of party, but I'll admit it ain't bad. At least people here have the courtesy to not laugh right at my face for looking like an idiot."He joked at her. She can't help but burst out laughing at that. But they both stop short as Zachariah is suddenly there in front of them.

He obviously had seen enough and wanted Anna back at his side. She moves forward to him and he grabs at her arm roughly, pulling her close while glaring at Dean.

"Would you look at that, Anna? It's so cute when monkeys wear clothes." He said as a greeting.

Dean is used to ridicule, and he can take it for the sake of Anna's business, but then Dean sees that the skin where he grips Anna's arm is white from the pressure and Dean can't ignore that.

"Hey buddy, watch yourself there. No need for roughness." People around them stopped to stare at their public display. They can see the tension between the two men like a physical entity. Even Harrow had come up to see what the commotion was about.

"Well excuse me, Captain. But she belongs with me. Not working monkeys like you."

"You can call me anything you like, but don't forget that she isn't one of your slaves. She doesn't belong to anyone." Dean insisted.

Something like a demented sneer appears on Zachariah's face, "Money has changed hands. That makes her mine tonight. Just like that boy you have over there. He's an odd one isn't he? Who is he exactly? A relative? A friend? Or is he just a pretty and pliant bed warmer for you…"

Crunch

Dean punches the dick right in the jaw and it sent him stumbling back, but surprisingly he doesn't fall to the ground. How the hell did a guy like that know how to take a punch? Maybe he was beat up a lot in school, it would totally explain his attitude, thought Dean.

Dean turns to Anna and smiles ruefully, "Maybe this is my kind of party after all."

Somewhere behind them Harrow is observing, and he cracks a smile. Anna on the other hand looks terrified.

"Dean, do you know what you just did?" She asked frantically. Dean was confused.

"What? He was out of line talking about you and Cas like that." He defended.

Zachariah, now steady, moved up to Dean, "I accept!" He announced. Dean became even more confused.

"Um, that's great. What do you accept?" The captain asked. Then the porters voice vibrated the air, "THERE HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE!" he cried.

"I hope you are prepared, Captain," sneered Zachariah.

"Oh, are we talking about a fight? Well, fine, let's get out of here. I'm going to need some space to toss you around in." Dean said starting to take of the restraining dress coat.

"It's not a fist fight, Dean," said Anna exasperated.

"THE DUEL WILL BE MET TOMORROW MORNING, AT STULL CEMETARY!" The porter cried again.

That made Dean happy, "Oh good, I can grab my favorite pistol then."

"If the captain requires it, any gentleman here can give you use of a sword." Mentioned a nearby fellow.

Dean wasn't ready for that, "Use of a s'wat?"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: WAHHHHH! Why isn't it mine!?

 

CHAPTER 7

Dean is really confused. This is not how his fights normally go.

"Dude, I just laid this joker out. Seems to me the transaction is complete….and satisfying. I don't see why we need a duel with oversized pig stickers." He argued with Harrow once the crowd had finally dispersed to enjoy the rest of the party. Anna was still nearby trying to calm Zachariah and take back the challenge. Didn't look like she was getting anywhere with him.

Cas had been moving through the bustle of people after detangling himself from his audience, trying to reach Dean.

"What is going on?" He asks once he gets to Dean's side.

Dean shook his head in amazement, "Dude, I don't even know. I just decked that big bag of dicks and now he's challenging me to some duel with swords! What….what is going on?" He directs the question at a hovering Harrow. He seems to be taking some personal amusement in the whole situation and it almost pisses Dean off.

"Well, first off, you'll be put up in lodgings for the night, so you don't disappear. Though, I wouldn't blame you for trying to. Green may be a pompous ass, but he's an expert swordsman. He's killed a dozen men with a longblade and you're the only one who has ever really given him a reason." He tells Dean casually, and with lightness in his tone that Dean doesn't really appreciate.

"This can't be happening. This is a joke, right?" Dean practically begged. Cas put his hand on Dean's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

"No joke, but I'll be your Second." Harrow said smiling.

Dean looked up confused, "My second what?"

"Your Second is there to fight if you refuse, "informed Castiel merrily.

"Anna!"

They hear Zachariah's outraged voice from behind them as Anna moves over to Dean quickly. "Dean, I can't talk long so listen. My contract is still intact through the night, so I have to go, but I will keep an eye on him for you. He won't be able to do anything sneaky under my watch. But…watch your back, okay?" She said hurriedly. Then at Zachariah's second impatient call she went back to him and grabbed his arm to be led off. She was trying to keep everything professional here. She had a reputation and responsibility to hold to. She didn't even glance back at them as they left, trying not to anger Zachariah any more than she had. Dean and Cas watched her leave, twin worried expressions on their faces.

Turning back to Harrow Dean dug for more information, "You taking this on…being my Second? Does this mean we're in business?" he asked. He better not have gone through all this trouble to have not even gotten the job.

He was pleased and surprised when Harrow smiled and clapped Dean on the back. "What it means is that you're in mortal danger. But you messed up Zachariah's face and that has endeared me to you. Perhaps you will even give him a little bit of a fight before he cuts out your intestines." He said chuckling. He was really enjoying this. Dean shook his head.

Dean saw two guards coming forward. They were probably here to take him to his "lodgings" for the night, he had to think quickly about what to do with Cas. He turned to Cas and caught his eye and then grabbed both of his shoulders to keep the other man's gaze on him.

"Cas? I need you to listen closely. I need you to go back to the Impala and tell the others what is happening, okay? Don't stop for anyone or anything. But most importantly, stay safe. You got that?"

Cas nodded earnestly, "Of course Dean. Stay safe. I can do that."

Dean moved one hand to pat the side of Cas' face, pleased that he was listening. They held the gaze for a little bit longer. "Okay, good."

Harrow watched the exchange, a soft look on his face before turning to walk away. He would give them a moment alone. Especially since Dean would probably be killed by noon tomorrow.

Dean cleared his throat, now realizing what this must look like. "Alright, you need to go now, before we get into more trouble."

Cas nodded solemnly, "Yes, it seems I can't take you anywhere." He said sadly and walked away, waving goodbye to the flower pot and his former audience members on his way out.

 

Cas was walking quickly back to the Impala, as per Dean's orders. He was trying to stay safe by sticking to the main roads, but it was starting to get dark out and he could see things lurking in dark alleys. He moved to pull his coat tighter around him when he remembered Dean had made him leave it behind. He shook his head sadly and picked up the pace again.

He finally saw the Impala right where he had left it, humming welcomingly in the night. He hummed right back, trying to match her pitch. He was about to cross the street to great her when he caught sent of something odd.

He ducked behind one of the closed vendor kiosks and watches as a few men move up the ramp of the Impala, all holding guns. They did not look friendly and the man leading them felt slimy to Cas. Perhaps they are friends of Meg? He ponders at the thought of her having friends and keeps watching. After the men have all entered the Impala Cas sneaks closer to peak in on what is going on. Perhaps if he is nice to her friends and offers them tea, she may be kinder to him. He hides off to the side of the ramp to listen in before interrupting anything.

 

Sam was in the hold of the Impala with the rest of the crew. He and Balthazar were working out on the rusty work out equipment, trying to pass the time somehow. They were just starting to get a good sweat going when Gabriel had finally come out of their room to watch them work out, offering lewd comments here and there whenever Sam bent over or grunted in strain.

Bobby was still playing poker with Meg and Chuck, but they had moved their game to the hold to stay with the others. If anyone was in the hold at this time waiting for Dean's and Cas' return, nobody made comment of it. They were all somewhat concerned and impatient for their return in some way or another.

A loud metallic banging startled each of them, making Chuck drop his cards and Balthazar to sit up quickly from the bench press. They all look to each other and then pointedly at Sam.

Sam sighed heavily and moved to the ramp to open it up to reveal Crowley and eight armed men.

"Hello Moose, lovely night isn't it?" He said cheerfully, stepping into the Impala without waiting for an invitation.

Sam wasn't impressed, "What do you want Crowley? Dean's still at the party working on the deal. He'll be back soon enough." He said with an annoyed tone.

Crowley only chuckled darkly, "I don't think so, Sammy. See…your brother has gone and gotten himself in trouble."

"Trouble?" Sam asked worried now. Of course Dean would get in trouble, he had gone somewhere without Sam and took an unstable person instead. From behind him, Sam heard Balthazar and Gabriel come forward, probably to find out if this trouble had anything to do with Castiel.

The crime lord was smiling, "Yes, seems he went and punched some fancy man and now has to take part in a duel tomorrow morning."

Sam's racing heart slowed a bit, "Well that's not so bad. Dean can handle himself in a shoot-off." Sam frowned when his comment only seemed to make Crowley laugh.

"Oh, you are funny, Gigantor. I'm not talking about a peasant's duel, but a gentleman's." He laughed out.

Now it was Gabriel's and Balthazar's turn to frown. They knew what the difference was, even if Sam didn't.

"Swords." Gabriel said simply, sounding impressed. Dean had really found himself in a pickle this time. The Winchesters certainly had a knack for finding themselves in troubling situations.

"The boy's a good fighter. He must know how to handle a sword?" Bobby asked eagerly, looking to Sam for reassurance.

Sam swallowed uncomfortably, "I…I think he knows which end to hold?" He offers a really awkward smile with the comment and he can see the rest of the crew sags despairingly. This was a bad situation.

"Well…then we go get him…I mean , you guys go get him," offered Chuck helpfully.

Bobby picked up the thought from Chuck, "Yeah, we have until morning, right? Plenty of time to come up with a plan and get him out of that mess. Do you know where they are keeping him?" Bobby asked Crowley.

Crowley sucked in a sharp breath, his face looked somewhat regretful, "Oh, this is embarrassing. Some of you seem to misunderstand my purpose of being here among you…monkeys."

Sam moved forward quickly when he heard this, knowing where Crowley was going with this. Crowley's men all raised their weapons in response, stopping Sam in his tracks.

"You're here to make sure we don't bust him out." He said stonily. They're going to keep me from Dean…

"Ah, yes! Give the giraffe a neck rub! You see, I'm a businessman. And my reputation is everything. So if the people of this planet find out that I was the one who brought the party crashers to their fancy gala….well, it's bad for business. So, I'm here to ensure that we all just settle here until the blows over," he finishes cheerfully. Sam surges forward again, but gets held back by Gabriel and Bobby.

"Sam, now isn't the time. Dean can handle himself, you know that." Gabriel whispered to Sam soothingly. The pilot grips Sam's arm hard, not willing to let him go off and sacrifice himself needlessly for Dean.

"Yes, yes, let's all calm down and find a comfy place to sit." Crowley follows his own advice and find the nearest crate to sit down on, looking like he had just sat down on some posh friend's couch. His men spread out to block all the exits from the room.

The Impala crew looks at each other and head over to the crate that had served as a table for the recent game of poker. They all sat around it, gathered close so that they could talk and not be overheard.

Balthazar was first to ask, "Should we ask him if he knows anything about Cassy?" He whispered.

"No. Even if he knows something, we don't want to draw any more attention to Castiel than we have to. You know that if he was to figure out who Castiel was…." Sam didn't finish, he really didn't want to have to say out loud what everyone's fears were.

"But where is he?! He went with Dean, and Dean got in trouble. What if he is being held as well? He could be recognized!" Gabriel whispered worriedly. Sam grabbed Gabe's hand and gave it a squeeze.

He caught Gabe's gaze, "There isn't anything we can do now. But I'm going to take it as good news that Castiel hasn't been mentioned at all." Sam paused and chuckled before continuing, "And it sounds like Dean was the one responsible for this mess, not Cas. Big surprise there."

That got a couple weak smiles out from some of them.

"So what are we going to do?" Meg asks, impatient.

Sam answers simply. "We wait."

 

Outside the ship Cas slowly and silently moves away from the ramp. He was thinking hard. Those men had guns, and apparently they were not friends, not really. So then going back on the ship would not be safe. And he had promised Dean he would stay safe.

Cas made a decision. He would go to the safest place in the 'verse. He closed his eyes and reached out for the light. Finding the familiar glow, he turned in its direction and started walking that way, happily strutting forward. This was clearly a safer choice. Besides, it looked like it would be boring in there for the next few hours


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: *sniff sniff* I own nothing this nice D'X

 

CHAPTER 8

These hallways had lovely wallpaper on them, he thinks to himself. Cas notices the lovely golden swirls as he moves silently through the hotel, following that bright and warm glow. He closes his eyes to see it better and continues on.

He comes to abrupt stop when his nose starts hurt like a bitch, as Dean would say. He opens his eyes to see what had hit him so rudely in the face to see that he had walked into an ornate door. He starts to stare down the door, seeing that the glow in fact does emanate from inside the room on the other side. A quick testing of the doorknob he finds it locked. No problem though, he wraps his hand a little tighter around the handle and turns sharply, snapping the lock away and opening to door easily.

Walking in he sees a lavish suite. He also notices that the lights are low, and Cas wonders if Dean is asleep. But the sounds coming from the attached room suggest that he was wrong.

Quietly entering the next room, Cas sees Dean. His coat has been taken off, his shirt sleeves rolled up and he's brandishing a sword with ridiculous flourishes. Cas can't help but compare it to children taking swings at a piñata. He giggles, and it startles Dean.

The captain swirls around so fast he almost loses his balance.

"Jeez, Cas! What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that!? I could have hurt you," said Dean sounding somewhat pisses at Cas but perhaps a bit more on the startled side. Cas steps forward and gestures lamely at the sword in Dean's hands.

"I'm afraid that if you hold the sword like that all you will be able to cut is butter," informed Cas solemnly, but then he giggled again. "Were you able to get any candy yet?"

Dean scrunched his face up in confusion and then shook it off. "Cas, what are you doing here? I told you to go back to the Impala."

Cas looked up brightly, "You told me to be safe, and the Impala is not safe at the moment, so I came to find you. I'm safest when I'm with you!" He repeated Dean's own words from earlier that day and Dean groaned.

"Yeah, yeah. You're safe with me, but what's going on at the Impala that makes you think it's not safe?" Dean asks concerned. Cas wandered away, starting to inspect the rest of the hotel room. He picked up random object and flipped them over, looking inside of pots as if looking for anything hidden away in their depths.

He was slow to answer, "Slimy substance got on the ship. Crew has to clean up before they can come, but it seems to be stubborn in leaving the upholstery," he informed absently. He moved to the bed where there was a bag of toiletries and he started to go through each item.

Dean scrubbed a hand at his face; Cas was being difficult tonight it seemed.

"I see. So are you going to bunk here tonight?" He asked tiredly as Cas started to inspect the bristles on Dean's toothbrush.

"I don't sleep," he stated as if he didn't remind Dean of this every day.

Dean sighed, "Well I need at least four hours, so…." He trailed off. Maybe he could get Cas to go back to the Impala without a struggle if he was lucky. Maybe he could also get him to leave before he got to the shaving cream….

Seems he wasn't that lucky, "I'll watch over you." Cas said, eyes wide with innocence and voice full of sincerity and earnestness. Cas then found the shaving cream and got a healthy dollop squirted right onto the sheets of the bed. It almost hurt Dean to see someone so willing to look after him for a change, but he didn't much care about the bed at the moment. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight anyway.

"Now, that ain't gonna happen." Cas didn't move and continued to pick through his stuff, picking out the toothpaste and sniffing at the contents. Dean sighed again, "I guess you can stay here for a bit. But stay out of the way, I'm trying to practice my moves here."

Cas snorts.

Dean turns to him, "Oh, what is that snort for? There something funny about this situation that I don't know about?"

"I was merely amused by your horrendous attempts at fighting with the invisible man, who by the looks of your swings is about 6 feet wide." Cas says seriously.

Dean can only look at Castiel shocked for a beat before trying to defend himself, "Hey, I admit that I'm more of a gun guy, but I also know that I am a damn good fighter and I'm not too shabby with knives. Can't be that much different…." He mumbled, mostly trying to convince himself of the last part. And he starts swinging the sword around again with a renewed frantic bout of swipes. Behind him Cas gets up from the bed and puts Dean's comb down. He watches Dean for a moment before shaking his head and coming up behind him and placing a hand on one of Dean's arms.

"Lower this," he says in his low and gravelly voice. The sounds sent shivers down Dean's spine and he moved his arm down a bit more to where Cas indicated.

"Now relax your shoulders." Cas moved his hands to Dean's shoulders and squeezed them until he felt Dean relax under him. "Hold the sword in a tight grip, but don't let that tightness reach your wrist." As he spoke he ran his hand down Dean's arm, the muscles becoming looser with each inch of skin he passes over. Dean's mouth went dry, but he did what he was told, and tried to focus on what he was being taught.

Suddenly the warmth next to him was gone and Cas was moving towards the bed, where the other sword was resting. Dean watched confused as Cas picked it up and swished it in intricate motions that showed experience with a blade. He never ceased to amaze Dean.

Cas turned to Dean after his quick warm up and smiled widely, "Attack me."

It took Dean a moment to respond, "Cas, I don't think…"

"I shall be fine. If you continue to treat me like a paper mache donkey then I am in no danger." Cas said happily and stepped closer so that Dean had a better shot. Dean took offense to that, he thinks. He's not actually sure what Cas was talking about, but he wouldn't be shown up by some nerdy dude who couldn't even wear a tie correctly.

"All right, but if you end up hurt, you're explaining to Gabriel what happened." Dean warned and then lunged clumsily at Cas who easily sidestepped him and disarmed Dean with just a small flick of his wrist.

Dean was dumbfounded when he finally caught his footing again and went to collect his weapon, all the while looking incredulously at his tutor.

"Now, how did I avoid that?" Cas asks merrily, like Dean was a kindergartener who was being asked how the teacher added two and two.

"By being fast like a freak," he asked harshly. Cas laughs at that.

"That may be true. But your patter of attack, it's in a complete repetitious phase. One would not need to be faster than a snail to avoid it, just intelligent enough to know that you would always pick scissors." Cas informed him with a smirk. He was holding the sword loosely in his hand, clearly not threatened by Dean.

Dean was still lost. "English please?"

"And I am not wood to be chopped. You don't need to swing all the way from your shoulder. You have to thrust forward, or swing from the elbow. Like drawing pictures in the dirt." He said gently.

Dean thinks he understood that one, "Swinging from the shoulder feels stronger though."

Cas came forward at that and touches his arm in the same way again, getting the shoulder in the right position and adjusting Dean's grip again. This time he doesn't let go. Instead he moves Dean's arm, controlling the movements and demonstrating the elbow and wrist movements and showing the proper arm extension for a thrusting motion. It feels much smoother to Dean, but still too light. He tries the movements himself with more force behind them, but Cas holds firm.

"No. Too much power. It may be stronger, but it is also slower. For a duel of this kind you need speed. You are all such fragile creatures. It takes less than a pound of pressure to cut the skin of a human." Cas informs him, sounding like the whole idea was some wondrous fact and not creepy as hell that he knew that.

Dean snorted trying the motions again, but slower this time, "You know that for a fact? Is that something they teach you on the inner planets, or at the Host?"There was no answer to that. He feels Cas move away slowly behind him and Dean mentally slaps himself. How could he be so stupid to bring up that place to Cas?

He turned to look at Cas to apologize for being an ass, but the other man didn't look like he was about to go into a breakdown or start humming again. Instead he was looking at the sword in his hands sadly and Dean didn't know what to say next.

"I learned many things there Dean. It wasn't a factory to make freaks. It was…something else. They had a purpose for me, and I was trained like a soldier." He whispered.

"A soldier for what?" Dean asked, just as softy.

Cas raised his eyes to meet Dean's, "I wasn't privy to such information."

Then without warning he moved forward quickly with his sword raised, and Dean reacted on instinct and raised his own sword in defense, blocking Castiel's attack and pushing him back.

Cas smiled at this and let out a whoop of celebration, "Very good! You are not a lost cause like I thought!"

"Well jeez, thanks."

"You're welcome," he answers sincerely. "But you still will be killed unless you improve some more."

"Great, well, what's next then?" Dean asks, rolling his eyes.

"Repeat these steps," and Cas starts to break down his earlier warm-up swings into steps and shows them to Dean to mimic. Dean tries each movement slowly, getting a feel for each step. Cas has him continue these for the next half hour, with Cas watching and adding helpful tips here and there. He continued to sit on Dean's bed, adjusting himself differently every few minutes, like his back hurt him.

Soon Dean is feeling a little bit more confident with each passing minute and Cas hasn't offered any comments for a while. The Captain continued with the steps, his harsh breathing filling the silence. But the silence is finally broken when Cas asks him a question.

"Did your father teach you to fight?"

Dean pauses before answering. It had been a long time since he let himself think about his dad more than in passing. It was a painful path to go down, but this question was far enough back in his life that he felt he could share this, but only with Cas. He wasn't about to go spewing feelings around the crew.

"Yeah. I was trained to be a soldier by Dad. So was Sammy, even if he didn't want it. We were Hunters before we really understood what that meant. But it never felt wrong to me. I felt like I was born to be a Hunter because it was all I was ever good at. Did you know I made my first sawed-off when I was ten? And I shot my first gun when I was six, Dad was the one who taught me. They were the only times that I really felt close to him." Dean's confession startled even himself. He didn't plan on revealing that much, but he felt safe telling it to Cas.

Cas decided to confess something of his own, "I wish that I had fond memories of my own father, like you do. Your father may have been harsh on you and Sam, but he was there for you. I can't even recall what my Father looked like. I just…I just knew that I loved him dearly and that I hoped to join him at his side if I was a good enough son. But…I don't…." He stopped himself there. He didn't know anything about what he felt about his Father now. He didn't even know where he was. He used to believe as a child that his Father knew everything and could fix anything, and now he wished he could believe that more than ever, but he just didn't know anymore. He rubs absently at his aching shoulders.

Dean seemed to understand though. He walked over to where Cas was sitting on the bed rubbing at his head like it ached, and he put a hand on Cas' shoulder, "Hey, I've been there. I'm a big expert on deadbeat dads. I get it. I know how you feel." He squeezed the other man's shoulder comfortingly.

"How do you manage it?" Cas asked raising wide and sad blue eyes to meet Dean's gaze. He sounded so lost. Dean wasn't sure that Cas was asking about just how to handle his Daddy issues or if he was talking about something entirely different.

"Well, on a good day…you get to punch dicks like Zachariah in the face." He smirked at Cas, who only looked up with one raised eyebrow at Dean.

"Dean, punching him in the face will not suffice at the duel. You will need to gut him," Cas reminded him like he was telling Dean not to just eat his cookie for lunch, but the sandwich too.

Dean laughed out loud, "Yeah, this is a civilized event after all. For gentlemen, and can't go messing up our dainty soft hands when we can stab each other in the stomachs instead."

Cas just sighed softly, "It seems we can never go out anymore since you keep starting fights."

"Hey, I didn't do this to prove a point, even though that guy was being a total dick-wad. I actually thought I was defending your honor…and Anna's honor. I never back down from a fight either," he added quickly.

Cas looked at him doubtfully, "Yes you do."

Dean had to give him that, "Yeah, okay. But I'm not backing down from this one."

"And your death will help with our honor, how?" Cas asked, sounding actually curious.

Dean stuttered, "Um…well, just…how was that last set of swings I did?" He asked, trying to change the subject. Cas seemed to consider what he recalled from Dean's latest tries with the blade.

"Any slower and you'd need to be watered once a week," says Cas firmly.

"What!? I thought that last one was pretty good! Show me again."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Sigh…..not mine…..

 

CHAPTER 9

Dean had finally shooed Cas out of the room as dawn drew near, saying that he needed to get back to the Impala to make sure the rest of the crew knew what was happening. They were probably frantic with worry over Cas….and maybe they were a little worried over Dean too.

Cas left reluctantly, saying the slimy one was still there, but Dean was adamant that he go back.

 

Meanwhile, the crew were all still seated in the hold after a very long night of worry and shot down plans of action.

Each crew member was playing a very unenthusiastic game of poker while exchanging whispers and meaningful glances. Sam was about to pull out his hair as he thought about what might be happening to his brother. He and Gabe had been taking turns comforting each other over the absence of their respective brother.

Balthazar was sending dark looks at Crowley periodically, with a stern Bobby doing the same. Crowley, however, was paying them no mind and was prowling around the hold looking quite calm, his men however looked bored out of their minds and eager to shoot something.

"Maybe we don't need an escape plan. I mean, it's Dean. He'll just won the duel and then come back." Said Chuck. The trigger happy men in the room were starting to make the mechanic uncomfortable.

"And if he doesn't win?" mumbled Meg, slapping down her cards in frustration, she was starting to feel a little trigger happy herself.

Sam sighed, "I'll feel a lot better if we have a contingency plan, Chuck. I have faith in Dean, but he may have finally gotten in over his head, and he doesn't even have us there to back him up."Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration as he barely focused on his cards.

"Well, since we're all unarmed, we should go with the idea that we should take them all at once, but it has to be a surprise." Suggested Balthazar, organizing the cards in his hand.

"That, or we could lure one or two of them away to…the infirmary or something. Then we can take them out then be on Crowley before he even knows what happened." Meg added. She sounded eager to take out the men, or at least be violent in some way.

"Only if his attention was elsewhere. We need a diversion," mumbled Bobby while glancing subtly around the hold for something that could create such a distraction.

"I say I get naked," Meg smirked at her own suggestion.

"No." Said Sam firmly, slapping down his hand of cards. He won that hand it seems and everyone else folded. Meg was still looking at Sam.

"Chuck could get naked?"

"No!" Everyone whispered loudly. Chuck simply looked horrified at the suggestion, and then even more horrified that he lost yet another hand.

Gabriel shook his head and out of the corner of his eyes he saw something that made his heart drop into his stomach.

Castiel had appeared in the opening of the ramp. Gabriel was incredibly happy to see that he was well and looked completely unharmed, but this was not the time to walk into a room with trigger happy thugs.

He practically glides forward into the hold with a blank and aimless air about him. Gabriel punches Balthazar's arm next to him to alert him to Castiel's appearance. The posh man winces, but he kept his reaction small enough so that none of the thugs took notice. Getting up casually, he makes his way over to Castiel who was walking the perimeter of the room, trailing his hands on the walls. It almost looked like a caress or a welcoming touch.

Sam noticed Balthazar's movement and glanced over to see what had drawn his attention. Bobby also takes note and tenses up next to Sam. The game is completely forgotten now.

"Oh no, not now," moaned Sam softly.

"Balthazar will try to get him out before he spots Cas," Gabriel whispered back, but he was grabbing Sam's knee with an almost painful grip. Perhaps he wasn't as convinced as he sounded. But Crowley had yet to look up, and his men were all falling asleep through the room, their hands still on their guns.

Balthazar finally reaches Cas and places a hand on his arm.

"Cassy. You can't be here…" he whispered lowly.

"I'm home! The walls aren't slimy yet," he tells Balthazar, his voice a little too loud. Balthazar quickly looks around to make sure that no one heard. He was pleased to see that they had not drawn any gazes besides those of the crew.

"Come on…you need to leave here before they see you." Balthazar urges and tries to push him towards the nearest exit. He was frantic to get his little brother out of sight from the sketchy criminals. Castiel seems to think it is some kind of game and he pushes back gently.

"Do you have candy? Dean couldn't produce any it seems, he got better you see." Castiel said, getting louder.

"Castiel, please!" Balthazar begged, almost whined, but it was too late. Crowley and his men had all taken notice or finally woken up by now and Crowley was coming closer, ready to inspect the newcomer.

He looked Castiel up and down as he approached, "Who is this, then?"

Castiel immediately cowers and avoids Crowley's gaze at his presence and turns himself to hide behind his brother, now seeming very uncomfortable.

Crowley seems to be amused and offended at the same time by this, "Hey now, why don't you look at me? What's your story, luv?"

Castiel looks around the room, unfocused, "So slimy, my eyes want to slip and slide away," he mumbles to no one in particular.

"He's just a passenger," says Balthazar calmly, hold Castiel a little bit closer to him and starts to back up, ready to bolt.

Crowley looked at Cas with raised eyebrows, "Yeah? But stay, why don't you. There's really nowhere to run." He leaned in close to the young man, so close that Cas could smell the scotch on his breath.

"That's enough," Balthazar warned.

"It's enough when I say that it's enough. I came here to help you, and I find out you've been lying to me, harboring this poor sod! Now what do you have to say for yourself?" Crowley turned back to Castiel, demanding that the blue eyed man answer him.

Castiel stumbled through his answer, unable to make eye contact with anyone. "Well, I'm still, uh, honing my communication strategy. I haven't been back to the ship yet. I..I keep thinking there are no insects here, but out there are…trillions. You know, they're making honey, and silk and…miracles really. And eating away at the wooden bed frames as well, I suppose. Not much of a miracle there."

"What are you…are you…you're off your rocker. He's off his rocker!" He directed the last part to Balthazar who only shrugged. "Where has he been this whole time? Do you have a secret you'd like to share?"

Castiel snaps his head up and looks at Crowley with a hard gaze.

Castiel adopts Crowley's accent as he stares at the man before him, his eyes looking as if they might be glowing, but it was hard to tell in the well light room.

"Sure, I got a secret. More than one. Don't seem likely that I'd tell them to you, does it? Anyone off Dyton Colony knows better than to talk to strangers." He pauses there, he sounds a little pissed off and moves to pick something off of Crowley's suit, wipes at it and then stared back at him, meeting his eyes unafraid.

"You're talking loud enough for the both of us, though, aren't you? So many secrets being held in a crystal ball that's always cloudy except for when you look into the past. I've known a dozen like you. Skipped off home early, minor graft jobs here and there. Spent some time in lock-down, but less than you claim. Now you're what, a petty thief with delusions of higher standing? Sad little king of a sad little hill…." He trails off looking sad and guilty about something.

Everyone in the room is completely silent for a beat, not sure what was happening.

"Well….nice to see someone from the old homestead," says Crowley awkwardly.

Castiel shrugs before turning to walk out of the hold and deeper into the ship, probably to head towards his nest. "Not really. Call me if anyone interesting shows up," he says to Balthazar before drifting off, his head slightly tilted to one side like he was listening to something in the distance.

The people in the hold watch him go, the crew sags with relief.

Crowley turns to Balthazar, "See, now normally I would have him skinned alive for talking to me like that, but where's the fun in clobbering a ball of wet fur. Tell me when Sparkles there retrieves his marble's though. I think we may have some fun together."

Balthazar only looks at him darkly before walking back to the others gathered around the table. Once he arrives Meg bends forward over the table and hisses at the crew, "Did you see that there? That's exactly the kind of diversion we could have used."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: WAHHHH! Why ain't it mine?!

 

CHAPTER 10

Stull Cemetery seemed to be a grassy and unkempt piece of land with crumbling headstones and a sort of dry feel to the area. The rising sun of dawn casts an almost eerie glow over the land where the morning mists are just beginning to dissipate.

It's a little bit chillier than he had expected and he was rubbing his hands together to keep them warm and ready for holding the sword. He was worried about losing feeling in his fingers if this chill held in the air.

Dean had been escorted here about an hour after Cas left by several of the "gentlemen" from the party as well as the porter. Dean guessed that the porter would be the game referee/ announcer for the proceedings, guy definitely had the pipes for it.

Upon arrival he could see a crowd of spectators gathering in one of the small clearings. Obviously those were the intended dueling grounds. Looking closer, Dean can make out some familiar faces from the party, as well as a couple of the goons that were accompanying Crowley for their "tea party". The Captain guessed that they were here to see if Crowley needed to find another person to acquire the job if Dean were to be killed. Never let it be said that Crowley didn't like to stay informed.

Dean chooses to head over to Harrow who is standing happily to one side of the area, still wearing that ridiculous red sash.

"Good morning lad. How did you sleep?" He asks upon seeing Dean.

"I don't sleep," Dean answered wryly. Then he saw the approaching Anna and Zachariah. She looked alright. Dean had been worried about allowing her to go off with that douche after their fight, but she was still walking proud and when she caught Dean's gaze, she smiled encouragingly. Zachariah also seemed to be in good spirits, chatting happily with Anna and his following entourage. Dean's anger surfaces again as he recalled why he hit this dick in the first place. He had half a mind to forget this ridiculous duel and just go pummel this guy into the ground, but he was interrupted by the porter stepping into the center of the duel ground and raising his hand.

Eventually the crowd's noise dies down and he clears his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, the field of combat is a somber place. A man will here lay down his life. Let the duel begin!" He says loudly. Perhaps a little too loud for this early, and Dean shakes his head. Game time.

Harrow hands Dean his sword that Dean takes firmly, behind him Zachariah gets his own sword out with a theatric flourish.

They move to meet each other in the center of the clearing. Dean chooses stays still while Zachariah prowls around. To Dean and all those watching it's clear that this guy really does have some sort of experience with theses duels judging by his pristine stance and the confidence that rolls off him in waves. Dean has experience too, with taking down lofty jerks like this guy, and with that thought, Dean crouches a little bending his bowlegs and being ready to spring.

Zachariah strikes first, like a cobra punching forward, but Dean remembers how Cas came at him suddenly like this before and he easily parries. Feeling a rush of confidence at this, Dean strikes out quickly at his attacker. Zachariah hops back and has to lean back as well to avoid the swipe, but his fancy vest gets nicked.

Dean takes great satisfaction in messing up his fancy duds. "Best be careful there Zachariah, I hear these things are sharp!" Dean teases. Maybe I can do this, thinks Dean happily. He mentally sends a thank you to Cas and then takes another mental note to but the guy some flowers.

Anna has made her way over to Harrow, her eyes never leaving the fight. She has completely lost her lady-like composure by now and just wears a mask of fear. As petty and spoiled as Zachariah was, he was a very capable fighter. He had been boasting the whole night of how his father had him trained from a young age to handle these types of situations, and how he had paid the best swordsman on the planet to spar with him once a week. Then he described all of the ways that he would humiliate Dean the next morning. Anna had almost left four times during the night, the only things holding her back was trying to keep an eye on Zachariah, and upholding her reputation. Although, at this point she didn't care about her reputation and she just cares that Dean is in the rink with a snake.

"He thinks he's doing well, doesn't he?" She asked Harrow worriedly.

He glances at her for a moment, not wanting to take his eyes off the fight for too long, "He's being toyed with." Anna's heart sank. Zachariah was like a cat playing with a mouse before finally going for the neck. And Dean had not even noticed that yet. But Anna did have to admit that Dean was handling the sword well for a beginner. She would almost have assumed that he had some sort of training if she didn't know better.

Dean ducks to avoid his aggressor's latest blow. While Dean is recovering from this, Zach decides to show off a bit, and he tosses his blade in the aid and catches it with the other before slashing down again, slicing Dean's arm. He's trying to put on a rutting show, thinks Dean, his temper flaring. He maybe hasn't been doing as well as he thought if Zachariah was comfortable enough to toss around his sword like the ribbon dancers from the market.

He laughs at Dean as he quickly tries to inspect the injury, "Oh Dean, you're nothing more than a maggot to me! So small, insignificant, and disgusting. How is it that anyone can stand to stay around you! All you do is fly around in that rusty boat pretending to be something. But look around, there are plenty of fates worse than yours. You get to go out in a blaze of glory, fighting for the honor of your "friends". How lucky for you!"

He strikes again, and Dean only just parried it off but it threw him off balance again. Dean expected Zachariah to strike again right after this, to end the duel here by taking Dean's life, but instead he steps back and puts his sword behind his back.

Now what is he doing, thinks Dean. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth he takes the opening to dive forward with a lunge, forgetting that Cas told him never to get too close to his opponent.

And Zachariah immediately sidesteps and swipes sideways with the sword behind his back, stabbing Dean in the side as he fumbles past.

Anna sucks in a sharp gasp and Harrow stiffens.

"Well this isn't going to take long, is it?" Harrow mumbles softly. He sounds a little disappointed.

Dean looks down, shocked at his wound and then up into the smiling demented face of Zachariah looming in front of him.

The crowd around them is starting to become more alive, whether it's because they've had time to wake up or they sense the end of the fight, Anna isn't sure. She had spent enough time with Zachariah to know that he would start boasting now. If Dean was going to have any chance at an opening, it would be about now. Anna only hoped that Dean wasn't too badly hurt to take advantage of that.

Dean staunches the wound in his side, pissed that he fell for such an obvious trap. But he pays the wound little mind thinking that Cas could fix it up nice and pretty later, not even a scar to remind him of the dumb error. But then Zach opened his mouth, looks like Dean wasn't the only one who was being dumb today.

"Did you really think you could beat me? You simpering wad of insecurity and self-loathing?" He taunts, and turns to wink at the crowd and Anna, then without missing a beat he moves forward again and thrusts the sword as Dean, not actually trying to hit him, but to scare him. Dean reacts by moving back clumsily, still trying to register the shock of being stabbed.

Dean knew that he couldn't hold out too long, so he moves forward for a strike, only to miss, but he recovered quickly and tries to strike again. Zachariah was pretty fast for an older guy, and he was able to deflect making it look easy. If Dean couldn't beat him through youthful speed, he would just have to do it through Zachariah's weakness. Pride.

Standing up as straight as his wound would let him, Dean met Zachariah's gaze. "You think that I'm the insecure one? None of these people would ever look at someone like you without you holding something of their interest. Going to a party? Find a companion to make you look good. Get in a fight? Declare a duel so that you don't look like a pussy in front of your peers. In a duel? Pull out theatrics to please those around you! Status is all that you are, under that is just a puppet. Look around man, you're nothing but a performing monkey to them! You're more of a whore than the companions you hire to play arm candy, no offense Anna." Dean nods to Anna in apology, but she only smiles awkwardly, uncertain as to what Dean is trying to do.

But Dean's strategy was working, Zachariah was starting to lose his confidence, and his neck was starting to turn red. And Dean took his chance and lunged to his feet, catching Zachariah under the chin with his sword and throwing him back, face cut and bleeding freely.

Zachariah is trying to save face, and tries to bring his sword arm back up to defend himself, but Dean is already on him, using the light wrist flick that Cas had shown him to catch his shoulder, further ruining the man's vest and a red splotch of blood starts to spread on the fabric.

And Dean doesn't stop there to play around, he raises the hilt of his sword and brings it down like a gun butt, over the downed man's head.

Zachariah is sprawled upon the ground with the hit, dropping his sword where Dean kicks it away out of reach and then points his own sword tip where Zachariah's heart supposedly is.

"He's down!" the porter announced, sounding surprised.

Dean only partially sees Harrow and Anna come up behind him as he is completely focused on his cornered prey.

"You have to finish it, lad. For a man to lie beaten and yet breathing, it makes him a coward." Harrow informs him dully, not sounding at all bothered at the idea of ending a life.

Anna places a warm hand on Dean's arm, "It's a humiliation," she whispers.

Dean pulls back his sword a little, never looking away from the downed man. "Sure. It would be humiliating, having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. But there are fates worse than yours. Mercy is the mark of a great man after all."

But then Dean stabs forward quickly, catching Zachariah's other shoulder.

Dean smirks, "Maybe I'm just a good man." That's for hurting Anna and treating her like a tool, he thinks to himself

He then he stabs down again, hitting him in the belly, but not going too deep.

"Well, I'm all right." And that was for Cas. Dean grins widely and tosses the sword aside and walks away.

Zachariah gets up slowly and the crowd draws back, whispering behind their hands. He notices this, he sees that he has lost whatever respect he had from them, if he even had it to begin with. He sees red.

"Winchester! Get back here! I'm not finished with you!" He shouts. The crowd continued to whisper and Dean is still walking off.

"You've lost, lad. Be gracious." Harrow throws over his shoulder.

Zachariah ignores him. More frantically this time he screams, "Winchester, get beck here now or I'll have your companion friend black-listed."

That stops Dean in his tracks, he looks to Anna with a raised eyebrow. Do we have to worry about this? He asks silently. Anna only smirks reassuringly and turns back to face her once client.

Zachariah thinks he might have got a hand hold again, "You set this up didn't you, whore. After I bought and paid for you. I should have uglied you up so no one else would want you. And I should have bought Dean's boy as well for some one on one time." He says, sneering at them.

Again Dean looks to Anna, "See how I'm not punching him? I think I've grown."

Anna just smiles obligingly and turns to address Zachariah, her confidence mustering. "Actually, that's not how it works. You see, you've earned yourself a black mark in the client registry. No companion is going to contract with you ever again." She informed him happily. She wraps her arm around Dean's and they start to walk away, practically strutting.

Harrow huffs out a laugh, "I suppose you'll have to rely on your winning personality to get women. God help you." And Harrow joins Anna and Dean, leaving a stricken and bloody Zachariah behind.

"You didn't have to wound that man", Harrow tells Dean after a distance.

That made Dean laugh loudly. All of the stress he had been feeling earlier was quickly dissipating, but he knew the pain from his wounds would catch up with him soon once the adrenaline died down. "I know that. It was just funnier that way. And also incredibly satisfying."

That made Harrow smile for real, "Well then if you are willing to fight that hard to protect my property, I'll have it in your hold before midnight." He tells Dean happily and then walks off to prepare his cargo.

Dean nods at him as he leaves, standing a little unsteadily now. Seems like the pain was finally kicking in, but he was able to ignore it knowing that Cas was waiting for him back on the Impala. The thought warmed him.

"Mighty fine shindig," he breaths out through the pain. Meaning every word.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Sigh….all that you see here, all that the light touches…does not belong to me.

 

CHAPTER 11

"Okay, so is everyone set on the plan?...alright, then we're ready to move on my signal. Gabriel's the diversion…"

"Did you ever see such a lazy crew!?" Dean shouts as the enters the hold, interrupting Sam's pre-diversion pep talk. Everyone looks up from where they are, seeking out Dean after hearing his voice. For the crew, as each person laid eyes on him, they smiled relived, or in Megs case, a shrug and smirk.

Crowley's crew on the other hand, all scowled, disappointed that they wouldn't get to play with their guns today. They all sadly placed their weapons back in their holsters.

Dean took a deep breath in as he arrived home. He saw that his crew was safe and unharmed. Sam looked particularly relieved and was smirking in Crowley's direction. The Captain was about to head over to Crowley himself for a little "talk" when from the other end of the room Castiel appears out of nowhere. Dean was very happy to see that Cas got back safely, but then a little stab of panic set in when he realized that Crowley was here as well and might have discovered the flightiest member of the Impala crew.

"Dean!" Cas says happily and practically skips forward to great his Captain, a beatific smile on his face. Everyone else follows his example and rushes the flustered Captian.

Though upon reaching Dean, Cas catches sight of the blood and a deeply troubled look falls on his previously happy face, "You're hurt." He states in a horrified whisper and he reaches forward to inspect, only to have Dean still his hands. Dean met his eyes before pushing Cas' now trembling hands back. Letting Cas heal him in front of Crowley was definitely not a good idea. There was no way that Dean would let the criminal king see what Cas was capable of.

"Not now Cas. Let me deal with Crowley first." He said softly. Dean moved in front of the young man, blocking Crowley's sight of Cas as the sleezy man came up to meet Dean. It was time to scrape off the dirt that had lodged itself in his ship. He wanted to get Crowley off as soon as possible.

"So, did you get the deal?" Crowley asks, completely ignoring the fact that Dean was barely standing and bleeding. But Dean was happy to skip "pleasantries" if it meant getting rid of Crowley and his crew faster.

"Yes, I got the deal, Crowley, now get you and your men off of my ship."Dean grunted out.

That was all the dealer had to hear and he gestures to his men and leaves. He looked to be a happy man. "Ta then all! I had a lovely night." He says as he walks out, but then he sees Castiel there standing by the ramp, his face downcast and adds, "And it was a special pleasure meeting you." Castiel follows him out with a dirty look, not at all returning the pleasure of meeting the king of crime.

He snapped out of his heated glare as soon as the slimy man was gone, immediately zoning in on Dean and his injuries. But the crew was leading Dean away to one of the crates to sit down, grunting in pain as he has to move his torso too much. Hastily Cas moves after the migrating crowd, trying to catch up.

"Dean…"Cas tries to get access to the Captain, but so many bodies were in his way in some sort of barrier between Cas and the Captian.

Sam cuts him off while pulling up Dean's shirt to get a look at the wound, "We were just about to spring into action. But it seems that you got out of trouble…again," the younger Winchester reported, sounding pissed and happy at the same time.

Dean snorted and smiled wryly, "Barely." Sam hit a tender spot on Dean's ribs, and he pushed his younger brother's hands away, looking around and trying to see past the excited crew to see where Castiel had gotten too. He would really like to be healed about now….

"Oh yeah, it was a complicated escape and rescue op," said Meg sarcastically, leaning casually against one of the Impala's support beams.

Then Gabriel chimed in, "I was going to be the distraction," he said proudly, lifting his chin higher.

"Dean…," Cas tries again to get past the excited crew, but unable to penetrate the seemingly unmovable wall of people.

"I…I was going to watch. It was really exciting! I want to be a part of the plans more often! Great material for my book!" Says Chuck, practically bouncing.

"I can't believe you took Cassy to a fancy party and didn't even think to invite me!" Balthazar whined.

Behind the bunch with Cas, Bobby shakes his head at the attention whores. "Hey! Idgits! In case you didn't notice, the good Captain is injured and you won't let the one person who can fix him up proper through! So unless you want him to bleed out while listening to your silly comments, I suggest you get the hell out of the way." He huffs out. Next to him Castiel huffs as well, he was starting to get frustrated.

Finally everyone backs off, but they were all still smiling, very happy to see their captain more or less in one piece. Cas moves forward slowly, eyes looking nowhere except the wounds. His aura was different from not too long ago. Castiel's apparent concern was now looking like something else. A horrified guilt. Everyone seemed to pick up on his serious mood, and backed off a bit, but didn't leave the room and no one took their eyes off of Cas and the Captain. Dean was a little too distracted by pain to take notice.

Cas laid his warm hands on the side wound first, and Dean could swear he felt Cas' hands shake a little. It took a few silent minutes to finish up the healing, but Dean was too busy enjoying the ebbing pain to worry too much about it. Then Cas moved on to the cut on his arm and finished it up quickly, withdrawing his hand quickly when nothing was left but some pink skin. With all the pain gone, Dean opened his eyes, unsure when he had closed them to begin with.

He expected to see Cas smiling brightly, perhaps a little tired, but he didn't expect to open his eyes to see Cas' retreating form as he practically ran from the hold.

He looked to his crew, as if asking them what they made of it all. All he got as answers were shakes of the head and blank looks of confusion.

 

Cas crawls into his nest, and greats Fern upon his arrival by humming his favorite octave that the ship taught him. He pets at the vines for a moment, trying to distract himself, but failing miserably.

Humming it a little louder, he moves to his suit from the party, hanging on the wall. He started to run his fingers over the folds, feeling the soft silk and cotton slide over his fingers. He came to the inside the pocket where Dean had placed the invitation the day before. Reaching in slowly he pulled forth a small flower from the party. It had sung back to Cas while he was interrogating the other plantae, and he had to bring it back to show his plant. He grabs a cup from the dresser and fills it with water. Next he cuts off the last inch of stem and quickly places it in the water glass. Satisfied that the flower was settled, he placed it next to Fern and he hummed to them both for a moment, a welcoming song.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the suit again, with the tie draped over one of the shoulders. He moves over to it, still humming. He runs his hands along the length of the tie, feeling the silk slip through his fingers. He remembers Dean putting this on him, telling Cas that he was safest with him.

His heart clenches painfully and Cas' hum becomes a whine.

 

Cas had seemingly disappeared to wherever on the ship, but Dean wasn't able to really look for him because, as promised, Harrow had his cargo delivered quickly and that kept Dean and the rest of the crew very busy for a while.

He finally gets a chance to breath and takes the moment to just sit on the catwalk, overlooking the hold. He reflects on the day, smiling when he thinks of the look on Zach's face as he walked away, and then wincing as he remembers the pain of being stabbed in the side.

At the memory of the pain, he reaches to his side where the wound was, as if testing to make sure everything was holding up well.

"Does it still pain you? Did I not heal it completely?" a soft voice from the end of the catwalk…

Dean turns to see a hesitant and worried Cas, peeking out from behind one of the pillars, like he wanted to go to Dean, but was scared of Dean at the same time.

"No, it's fine. I just…memories I guess. They tend to stick with you, don't they?" Dean joked, a friendly smile on his face.

"God gave us memory that we might have roses in winter," mumbled Cas quietly, not looking at Dean's face.

"So you're saying that I gotta take the good with the bad so that I at least get some good?"Dean asked skeptically. Well wasn't that spectacular, thought Dean.

"Something like that." Came the mumbled and shy response, not meeting Dean's eyes.

Dean frowned at Cas' behavior. Cas was acting like he had done something wrong, like he was feeling guilty about something.

"Hey Cas, come sit with me." He gestures to the open spot next to him on the catwalk. Cas moves forward hesitantly and daintily sits down a good six inches away from Dean. A whole four inches further than Castiel usually did. The Captain was pretty sure that it wasn't because Castiel had finally decided to listen to Dean's lectures on personal space. Sighing, the Captain decided now would be a good time to pull out Bobby's latest gift.

He hands the bottle of whiskey to Cas and motions for him to take a swig when all he receives is a blank look and the other man holding the bottle awkwardly. When he finally does take a sip and he screws up his face in distaste, but then forces down a second sip.

A small gasp of distaste, "I thought this stuff was supposed to make you feel good," he choked out.

Dean chuckled softly at that, but gave Cas a sympathetic look, "Nah, it's supposed to make you feel nothing."

Castiel nods, understanding a little better, "Thank you," he says politely, handing back the bottle.

Dean laughs, "Don't thank me for sending your liver into hiding. Bobby's got some strong tastes for a Sheppard."

A small silence falls.

"Are you sure you're not in pain?"

Dean scoffs, "I'm fine. You fixed me up real well. But I gotta say, it may be a while before we go to another party. They're too rough these days." Cas looks guilty again.

"I'm…I'm sorry that I failed you, Dean." Cas says softly. Dean turns to Cas so fast that he practically gets whiplash.

"What are you talking about?" Dean couldn't see why Cas was sorry for anything. The guy had practically saved Dean's life that day. But Cas' face crumpled as he tried to explain it to the Captain.

"I gave you all of the paint and taught you the strokes to use on your canvas, but in the end you made a finger painting and got the red all over your shirt." He says sadly, sounding like the whole situation was causing him physical pain.

Sigh. He wasn't sure, but it sounded like Cas was blaming himself for not preparing Dean well enough before the fight.

"Cas, it's not your fault I got hurt, that's on Zach and me. But I should be on my knees kissing your feet in thanks, cause without those moves you taught me…I would have been a shish kabob by now, or a new taxidermy on Zach's wall. So…thanks, for having my back." Dean finishes awkwardly.

Cas nods, trying to accept what Dean was telling him.

"And it wasn't an entire disaster. I got us a job lined up, and I learned to fence…sort of."

Cas smiles softly. Looks like Dean really was trying to take the good out of this. "Your father would have been proud. You were fighting for what you believed in and fought like a warrior as Anna tells me," he mentioned casually.

Dean's smile faltered, but didn't go completely away. "Yeah, I'm sure he would have loved to see a guy like Zachariah go down too. But I think I'm done with sword duels for a while now. I think I'll just stay outta that world."

"I agree. The best world I have ever visited by far is yours." Says Cas seriously. Dean turns to regard him, as if gauging the truth in his statement.

"Can't argue with ya there." And he hands the bottle to Cas to take another sip. "Can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else." He finished softly to himself, but Cas heard him anyway.

The pair turn their attention to the hold below them, where two hundred cows now mill around. Dean takes another healthy sip. Harrow had never mentioned that his cargo happened to be friggin livestock.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Not. Mine. Cry. Sob. Sniff. Die.

 

CHAPTER 12

Two Weeks later

Balthazar and Gabriel were sitting in the control room, just content watching the stars together. They were happy to get a moment of calm after the remarkably stressful day of waiting around. The shock and panic that had hit the two when Cas came into the hold to meet Crowley…it just served to remind them how careful they needed to be when it came to their younger brother. Any mistake could take Cas away from them.

The two startled violently when Castiel came in, completely silent. Almost as if he had teleported into the room.

"Jeez Cassy! Make some noise would you? You're likely to kill Gabriel in his old age." Balthazar scolded halfheartedly. But Castiel didn't say anything to that. Balthazar and Gabriel exchanged worried glances, unsure what this meant.

He stood before them, looking like he was trying to gather his thoughts for a few moments. Thinking perhaps their brother was just having one of his sullen moments, they moved to turn back to watching the stars, but then Gabriel and Balthazar were surprised when Castiel finally spoke. They had not heard him sound this sane and serious for a long time.

"I…I was talking with Dean not long ago….About our father." He glanced up to see his brother's reactions. He saw that they had paled, Balthazar looking angry, and Gabriel looking sick. Their reactions gave Cas strength in what he was about to ask next. They would only react this way if there was a reason to. They knew something.

This though only heightened Castiel's resolve, he straightened up and looked both of his brothers in the eyes, not wavering his gaze. "You two have been keeping a secret from me. I am not a child who you need to keep believing in Santa Clause. I need to know. Where is our Father?" He demanded harshly.

Balthazar stood up slowly and moved beside his younger brother and put a hand on his shoulder. Gabriel leaned forward in his chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. Both of them appeared to be wishing to be anywhere but here, talking about anything but this.

"Cassy…Castiel. While I was finding a way to bust you out of the Host…I came across some information about…about our father. I will tell you, but maybe we should wait? It could…it might upset you, and you've been under a lot of stress…I just don't want to hurt you anymore." Balthazar sounded like he was choking out each word, and he placed his hands on either side of his little brother's face, cupping his cheeks.

"I've waited long enough. I need to know. I need to know who I can believe in." Cas pleaded. Balthazar just looked to Gabriel, asking him silently to finish.

As though it caused him physical pain, Gabriel looked Castiel in the eye, "Castiel…our father…"

 

 

Next story will be posted soon! Keep an eye out for "Aint We Just". Also, a small original side story I wrote around christmas that is set between this story and the next will be posted as well. If you love fluff, then check out "Celebrate This". It's not necessary for plot, but there's some cute antics if that's your thing. 


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